MSG 0079 Side Story:The Forgotten Fleet
by Zinegata
Summary: A Gundam Side Story on the lives of ordinary soldiers who fought during the OYW. Assigned to a desolate outpost, the men and women of the 17th Fleet struggle to survive. But at what cost?
1. Chapter 1: The First Day

This is my old One Year War fanfiction, completed back in the year 2000 and is now part of a trilogy of UC fanfictions. This fic is mainly concerned with the One Year War era, so watching the Original Gundam series and generally knowing a lot about UC Gundam will generally make reading this fic more enjoyable. Also note that this is a Side Story much like the 08th MS Team or 0080, with purely original characters, though there may be a well-placed cameos or two. The story's a bit action-oriented at the start, but gets mushier in the later parts(there's no fun without a little romance or two^_^), so maybe patientce is in order for some ^_^;;;  
  
And this is a dual POV fic, meaning that both Federation and Zeon troops get covered, though the Federation side will probably have more coverage.  
  
Also, I might be tardy in putting up ALL of the chapters here(there are 38 in all), especially if reviews are scarce(so please send some comments ^_^). However, if you like the story and just can't wait for what's going to happen next, check it out at http://www.newtype-asylum.com . The rest of the fic and its two sequels are all there.  
  
Many thanks go to Shin Matsunaga, Mark Simmons and the Newtype Asylum crew for providing historical data for this fic and an exntensive array of One Year War mecha for me to use. Also, thanks to the current fans of the "Fleet" as well as those of you who're reading this now. I hope you enjoy it ^_^.  
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Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: The Forgotten Fleet  
  
Prologue:   
  
The year is Universal Century 0079. For the past seventy nine years the ruling government of the world, the Earth Federation, had been conducting a massive colonization program that would see most of mankind migrate to giant, 20 mile long space colonies orbiting Earth. The corrupt leaders of this government though, having imposed this migration upon mankind, have now excused themselves from it and have made Earth their exclusive domain while maintaining a firm control over the colonies.   
  
However, one group of colonies on the far side of the moon, Side 3, would not accept such an injustice. In UC 58 the Side 3 colonies would declare independence and rename themselves the Principality of Zeon. The Federation imposes sanctions against them and expects their resistance to be short-lived, but such is not to be. Instead, Zeon begins to build up its military might and begins preparing for an eventual showdown with the Federation. Preparing with new, untested weapons capable of destruction on an unimaginable scale. Weapons these so-called Zeon "liberators" were all too ready to use against an unsuspecting populace in the name of their cause. And now, as the year starts, the fearful ramifications of those events would finally be seen...   
  
Humanity's greatest bloodbath, was about to begin...   
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Chapter 1: The First Day  
  
Jan 3, UC 0079. Colony Cluster Side 2  
  
2nd Lt. Sylvie Gressier, chief communications officer, EFSFS Battleship Amerigo, looked impassively as a flight of four Sabrefish space fighters flew pass her ship. A young, bright officer, a mere twenty-three, her petite frame and kind, warm face denoted a certain sensitivity and kindness that seemed wholly unsuited to the military profession. Unfortunately for her, fate was about to change that forever, and in the most tragic of ways.  
  
The four SabreFish fighters were a reconnaissance flight sent out by Colonel Alexander Dolvich to patrol the areas around the colony cluster of Side 2. Intel had reported increased Zeon fleet movements for the past several days, although intel believed that the Zeon fleet was just flexing its muscles and was not gunning for an all-out war. The Colonel didn't think so though, Sylvie thought, and the Colonel was usually right. That was why he'd managed to convince fleet command to station the Amerigo and the Salamis class cruisers La Spezia and Cherbourg just outside Side 2 to patrol and act as a deterrent force. Unfortunately, if a shooting war DID start, they'd be pretty much be alone for the first few minutes. Worse, they only had 2 more battleships and 8 cruisers on standby since the rest of the fleet was still tied up in port under orders from high command. "Provocative" they say. Sure. Her train of thoughts interrupted by a transmission from the recon flight.  
  
"Sir Alpha 1 here, Alpha 4 is seeing lights bearing 312. We're not sure what it is, it's not appearing in radar."  
  
"Hold position. Signal the fleet Lt. Gressier, we may have company," the Colonel ordered, as he picked up a pair of binoculars and stared towards the direction of the lights.  
  
Sylvie nodded. She had just started to send the message to fleet command when she started to heard some sort of static. She quickly forwarded the message, since it might very well be some sort of jamming. After confirming that HQ had received it, she started to isolate the source of the static. What she found worried her... It was a general broadcast type transmission, emanating form Side 3..."Sir, I have a broadcast coming from Side 3. Oh my God... They're..."   
  
"And so..." the voice on the radio concluded, "A state of war exists between..."  
  
"SH*T! It's war!" the Colonel announced as he put down the binoculars, "All hands to battlestations! Seal your normal suits! I see five ships, four Musais and a Tibe, bearing 312. Warn Alpha flight! It's war people! Zeon is going to war!"  
  
Just to confirm the Captain's last statement a volley of beams suddenly struck the cruiser Cherbourg. The Salamis cruiser was well armored, but her reactor was already breached. She lingered for a moment, before exploding in a giant white fireball that rocked the Amerigo. It was exactly three seconds after the Zeon declaration of war. Nothing could now stop what would happen next.  
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The pilot of Alpha 1 saw the beams come, and had already ordered his men to evade. It was only partially effective. Alpha 2 and 3 were both taken down by beams fired by the lead Musai. Alpha 1 and Alpha 4 reformed their formation to try to fight back, only to see four humanoid machines start heading towards them. They were Zeon's trump card. Giant humanoid fighting machines known as Mobile Suits whose speed and firepower far exceeded those of any conventional space fighter. And the four they saw were the latest workhorse of the Zeon armed forces. The MS-06C Zaku II.  
  
Alpha 1 and 4 both tried to evade as the four enemy units fired their machine guns, but Alpha 4 was hit and exploded by a 120mm shell. Alpha 1 managed to evade their fire for a few seconds more, but eventually a shot from the enemy squadron leader found its mark, and Alpha 1 went down in flames...  
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Sylvie watched all four of them go down. She tried to stop her hands from shaking, as the fear began to replace the initial shock. She still had a job to do, "Fleet Command!!! We are engaging a superior force, we need help now!"  
  
"You must be insane!" a shaky voice replied, "That broadcast couldn't have..."  
  
"Everybody on the Cherbourg is dead and you're still believing that sh*t intel feeds us?!" Sylvie asked angrily as her voice shook uncontrollably from the fear, "We need to... we need to..."  
  
"We'll be ready in five minutes," a calmer voice responded over the radio, "Hold them."  
  
"We may not be here in TWO minutes! Can't you..."   
  
"We'll hold, but in 5 minutes there won't be much left of us," the Colonel interjected coolly, "Gunnery! Do you have the lead Musai in your sights?"  
  
"YES SIR!" the Gunnery officer Len Roberts replied confidently. Outside, all five forward turrets had already trained out their twin mega particle cannons at the lead Musai.  
  
"Then fire!"   
  
Len nodded as he relayed the command. A total of ten mega particle beams lanced out into darkness, searching for Zeon steel. The Musai tried to avoid, but it was by then too late. Six shots hit the Musai, wrecking the bridge and all her gun turrets. For a moment it seemed that the ship might actually survive the hits, but with no bridge to direct immediate damage control, she was doomed. A succession of secondary explosions ripped the Musai in half...  
  
"That's a kill!" Len remarked loudly enough for all to hear. Besides the Musai they had killed, another Musai was damaged and left burning by the La Spezia. But any elation they had was soon extinguished as the black space turned yellow again from the beam fire of the Zeon ships, and several more explosions rocked the ship.  
  
"Damage Report!" the Colonel demanded.  
  
"Two turrets are out, engine 3 is dead, but the La Spezia is..." Sylvie reported as she looked at the Colonel, the fear in her eyes apparent...  
  
Another huge explosion shook the ship violently to the left. The Colonel looked to his right. The La Spezia was gone, save a few charred pieces of wreckage. And the Amerigo was alone.  
  
"Colonel, four humanoid types heading for us!" the executive officer reported, concern in his voice growing with each word he spoke.  
  
Sylvie checked to see if her normal suit was fully sealed. It was. Around her the bridge crew was doing the same thing. Unfortunately normal suits, though a lifesaver if the bridge was to decompress, would not stop 120mm shells from ripping the to pieces. They should have transferred to the secondary bridge, but there was no time. She could only cringe as she saw the four MS head for them, their machine guns already trained out, ready to fire...  
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By that time twenty additional Federation fighters of all types had managed to arrive at the scene. What they found was a horrible mess. The Amerigo, the only surviving ship, was adorned from bow to stern with flames, and her bridge already shattered by a volley of 120mm shells from a group of four MS. Yet, she was still firing her 2 surviving forward turrets, fighting back while the ship slowly tried to turn around to withdraw.   
  
"What took you?" a scared female voice asked. It was Sylvie.  
  
"Delta leader here, sorry. But I'm glad you're still in one piece. Get outta here, I'm assigning Echo squad to cover you. We'll take care of them for you. Out." He gave her a thumbs up sign as he passed by the shattered bridge.   
  
Sylvie nodded as she put down the mike. She held her hand as it started shaking again. It was covered with blood. One piece huh? She looked around the bridge. It was a shambles. And there was blood. The blood of her friends and crewmates that she had just seen get blown to pieces right in front of her eyes. Only she and the Colonel were lucky enough to live. She'd be dead too if Len hadn't pushed her away, and it was his blood that was in her hands. She began to feel her stomach turn, but before she could vomit, merciful darkness enveloped her thoughts, as her brain finally shut down from the shock...  
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Nov. 4, UC 0079   
Somewhere in Southern Ukraine  
  
1st Lt. Sylvie Gressier woke up from her bunk, sweating. She had that nightmare again. That damn nightmare of the first day again. She shook her head. It wasn't time for that now. Today was going to be a big day, and possibly the turning point of the war.   
  
She had been in every major battle, and defeat, of the Federation. From the One Week War, to Ruum, she had been on the Amerigo as radio officer to witness the virtual annihilation of the entire Federation space fleet. After the space force was decimated she had been sent to Earth as a radio techie for a Type 74 hover truck, just in time to see Odessa fall, which was one of the most mineral-rich areas on Earth and was even now feeding the Zeon war machine.   
  
But all was not lost, yet. One of Zeon's greatest advantages was the giant humanoid machines known as Mobile Suits, and the Federation's hitherto lack of it. But now, though most of the Federation had yet to know, the EF had managed to crash develop its own highly advanced Mobile Suits. One of which, the Gundam, had killed Garma Zabi, one of the members of Zeon's ruling family a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, she had also illicitly read a few intel reports regarding Zeon fielding a succession of new prototypes to counter the Federation's new MObile Suits. But the question was, whether they would have resources to build them. That question would be answered tomorrow, in the Ukrainian city of Odessa.  
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Note: Usually, I post a few items of trivia and consistency in the bottom of each chapter, as is the case here.  
OH! BTW, Expect lots of flashbacks!  
Also, note that for consistency and prevent mix ups, ALL character will use _army_ ranks, even ship captains.  
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Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by Thomas E. "Zinegata" Ting, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
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This fanfic is also hosted in the Newtype Asylum at http://www.newtype-asylum.com . A premiere site on the One Year War era of UC Gundam. 


	2. Chapter 2: Azimuth

Chapter 2: Azimuth  
  
Nov 4, UC 0079  
Somewhere near Kiev, Ukraine  
  
A lone Zeon lookout peered out nervously from the top of a large, rocky hill. Known to both Zeon and Federation as Hill 14, it overlooked much of the main Zeon defenses a few miles east of it. Defenses that guarded the Headquarters of the 1st Mobile Division at Kiev, the single most important piece of real estate on the continent, maybe even on all of Earth. That was why even now a few MS-05 Zaku Is were busy improving the defensive positions. Long since discarded by Zeon forces as a combat unit, MS-05s still found profitable use in construction roles. The real defenders of the hill were the eight J type Ground specialist Zaku IIs and a company of fourteen Magella Attack tanks, all of whom were currently digging in for the expected attack.  
  
There should have been a hell of a lot more... the lookout thought, but most of the Zeon forces had been ordered by commanding general Ma Kube to sectors far from this location, despite the growing number of Federation units in the area. He had heard all his assurances that there was no way the Federation was going to attack this sector, but he just didn't trust that lackey of Kishira Zabi. Kishira might be the daughter of Zeon's ruler, Degin Zabi, but she was not a true warrior like her brother Dozul. He personally would have preferred the more soldierly General Yuri to be in command, but he didn't have all the necessary connections for that. Damn the stupid Zabis and their nepotism! He thought. He wasn't a Zabi supporter like some of his comrades, and now he was being sent off to die in a faraway land. Damn them. He ducked back down to his foxhole, still unable to spot any of the Federation positions. But they were there, he was sure.  
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They were. Lt. Sylvie was also quietly observing the Zeon positions from the 25mm machine gun position of her Type 74 Hovertruck. Being hull down in a tank sized foxhole and covered with protective matting, the tank was impossible to spot. Protruding from its side, a pole-like device was already implanted into the ground. It was the HoverTruck's ground sonar, it main "weapon" as a reconnaissance/support platform. Beside her, a RGM-79G GM Sniper was also similarly camouflaged, and also observing the Zeon positions. Although still having the same optics as a regular Ground Type with the exception of the rifle sight, it was still far more accurate than the naked eye. And besides, its pilot, Lt. Max "Rifle" Harper, had the eyes of a hawk.  
  
"Rifle here, I see two Zakus and fourteen Magella Tanks on the base of the hill, and six more Zakus and a pair of turrets on the hilltop," He reported in his quiet, usually reserved tone, "And a pair of Old Zakus improving the positions on the hilltop. How about you Sylvie?"  
  
"Me too, hey Earl, waddya think?" referring to Earl Williams, the operator of the Type 74's ground sonar.  
  
He held up his hand first to warn Sylvie to keep quiet as he carefully adjusted several knobs on his panel. The improvements on listening devices had been remarkable, but it still took trained operators and sophisticated computer analysis to distinguish different sounds. "Yeah, got them on my sonar too, wait... two Old Zakus are moving away..."  
  
"Rifle here, I confirm movement, they are leaving. Earl, are there any units coming towards us?" Max inquired.  
  
"Aside from a couple of Desert Zakus heading for the main defenses, I have no further contacts." Earl replied with full self-confidence.   
  
Sylvie nodded, "Hey Pat, you ready?" Pat Summers was the driver of her Type 74. Officially, Hovertrucks had four crew, but it was more common to have only two. She, however, had the luxury of three. However, there was a reason for that, she was also the battalion camera unit and main communications link to high command.  
  
"Let's get this show on the road!" he replied with a grin.  
  
"Alright, I'm sending coordinates to the artillery section. Time is now 0630 hours. Thirty minutes to H-hour."  
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Captain Karl Grunther was napping quietly in his Mass-Production Type Guntank when the coordinates came in. About time he thought. Now he had targets to hit, even though he only had a ragtag collection of artillery consisting of two half-tank, half-MS Guntanks and a dozen old-fashioned 155mm towed artillery pieces that had been in use since the Second World War. However, it was his talent to put such diverse forces together. He'd come a long way from being a tank commander, and his scarred body and tough, determined face certainly emanated that. Now currently the expert artillery commander of the 71st Battalion, he'd show those Zeon b*****ds what he thought of them... He looked quietly out the semi-arid plain of Ukraine, trying to remember the how it was, eight months ago...  
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March 1, UC 0079  
Baikonur Spaceport, Ukraine  
  
It was snowing lightly, he thought, looking at the sky. Another gift from those Zeon murders, no doubt. And it was also getting dark. He was worried a bit, Zeon just might be able to land forces in tonight. Beside him, fourteen other Type 61 tanks were waiting quietly just outside the Baikonur spaceport, just in case they did come...  
  
"Comrade Sergeant," a familiar voice asked from behind him.  
  
"You know Igor, it has been a long time since Communism fell in Russia, are you trying to revive it in this day and age?" Karl asked his gunner, "Call me sir."  
  
"Yes sir, comrade Karl!" Igor replied proudly. Both men laughed. They needed it. They had been best friends since they had been assigned to the same Type 61 tank two years ago. Who would have thought, Karl reflected, that a German and a Russian would be friends fighting a different enemy? Well, the colonization program broke a lot of racial boundaries...  
  
"But seriously sir, it's part of my heritage and my great-great..." Igor started. Karl smiled, Igor's father had been a history teacher.  
  
"Arguing about ancient history again?" the driver, Marko Sergetov, asked as he returned from a nearby field. And he was carrying a bottle, smiling.  
  
"Marko, speaking of ancient history, don't tell me that..." Igor cautioned.  
  
"The best quality vodka sir. Found some home-made in a nearby farm. I erghh... convinced the farmer to put in on the tab for us since it's a tough job to..."  
  
"No drinking on duty Marko," Karl ordered firmly. Marko was a good driver, but he liked liquor a little much for his taste. And they might be fighting tonight.  
  
"Yes, we'll drink it when we kick Zeon's a**!" Igor replied confidently, and then carefully taking the bottle and putting it gently into a locker. Drinking may be illegal, but good vodka was still too good to waste...  
  
Karl nodded, "Alright, get on the tank," He looked quietly to the sky above him. It wasn't a friendly sky, he knew. But it also had been one hell of a speech that the commanding General Revil had given them a month ago after his heroic escape from the hands of his Zeon captors. "There are no warriors in Zeon," he had said in that speech, describing the dismal state of Zeon's manpower, which was enough to convince the rest of high command to continue the fight. Better yet, even if they did come those new Mobile Suits wouldn't be so useful on the ground. They were just too big and slow for that. But still... He searched his pockets and produced a picture. It was of his wife, now living in Belfast. They had a lot of problems since he had joined the military but...  
  
"She's waiting for you, don't worry," Igor said with a touch of envy. He was very young, only 20, and had yet to have his own family.  
  
Karl nodded. He looked back at the sky, wishing he could go home. She wasn't writing him at all... maybe... He then saw something out of the darkening sky. It looked like a shooting star, but then...  
  
"Sarge! Visual contact! We have ten HLVs coming down. Landing in 14th Company sector!" Igor reported excitedly.   
  
Karl gulped. HLVs or Heavy Launch Vehicles were giant rockets used for carrying heavy equipment to and from space, and would most certainly form the vanguard of an invasion force. To make matters worse, the 14th Company was just west of them..."Any attempt at intercepting those HLVs?"  
  
"Minovsky particles interfering with radar! I don't think they can..."  
  
A huge explosion suddenly filled the sky as one of the HLVs exploded from a very, very lucky missile hit. Pieces of the HLV rained down on their positions, and Karl immediately closed the hatch above him. He cringed as he heard the pings as numerous fragments hit his tanks. After a few seconds, it stopped, and he opened the hatch and peered out of his tank. There were more lights coming down from the sky, almost like rain, and from the west, he could hear explosions...  
  
"14th Company is in heavy contact, commander is ordering us to support!" Igor reported.  
  
"Alright, Igor, check the autoloader, make sure it works. Marko, let's get there fast!"  
  
The tank suddenly lurched as it started moving towards the west. Thirteen other tanks went with them, their twin 150mm guns trained out menacingly at the darkening sky. Ready to be fired for the first time...  
  
"14th company is no longer responding," Igor reported grimly. They had just been annihilated, and that was that. "I have a target!"  
  
Karl peered out and saw a huge humanoid machine, some 20 meters high, covered in white canvas, giving it some camouflage in the snow covered ground. A MS-06C Zaku II, bearing the Insignia of the Zeon Earth Attack Force. Around it several charred remnants of what had been tanks of the 14th Company littered the ground. The suit's head turned, and it mono-eye sensor flashed a bright red as it started to swing it machine gun around...  
  
"Target, lead Zaku! Fire!" Karl ordered.  
  
Igor adjusted the twin barrels of the tank slightly, compensating for the tank's movement and the light snow, and depressed the trigger. Two 150mm shells streaked towards the Zaku, both hitting the torso area and shattering it. The Zaku went down, its chest now engulfed in flames..."Hit! Gotcha!"  
  
Igor was not the only one to fire, Karl saw. Twelve of the tanks had already found targets for their own guns, and the Zakus were caught looking the wrong way. Six of them went down, four more were damaged. Karl waited for a long few seconds as the guns reloaded, before ordering, "Target damaged Zaku to the left. Fire!" Igor complied, and another Zaku went up in flames. Karl would have grinned, but now more Zakus were coming up to reinforce them, and they had their guns trained out at them. "Nice one Igor! Marko, start maneuvering! Get us out of here!"  
  
Marko scarcely needed any encouragement as a stream of 120mm shells exploded the Type 61 just left of theirs. He put the tank in full reverse, allowing it to evade a burst from one of the Zakus. He pulled the tank away and swung wildly left and right as shells began to explode all around them, killing more members of their tank company.   
  
Karl saw the explosions all around him, and decided that it was time to leave. Only four Type 61s were still active, and they could not hold the enemy unless help arrived, which was probably not forthcoming. He did though, spot one of the squadron leader Zakus with a "horn" on it. Killing it might break the attack for a while... "Igor, can you take out that squad leader?"  
  
"No problem," he replied as he fired another volley of 150mm shells. Both hit the cockpit, and another Zaku joined the wreckage that now decorated the bloody landscape.  
  
Karl was just about to commend Igor on another good shot when a 120mm shell hit the Type 61 in the turret. The shell instantly destroyed both guns, but the armor in turret was harder that anywhere else in the tank, preventing it from exploding the tank immediately.   
  
Karl though, was in no mood to wait for it to brew up, "Bail out!" he screamed as he scrambled to get out of the tank. He had just pulled himself out of the hatch when a second shell struck the Type 61, sending him flying into the air. He hit the ground, face down. He tried to stand up, but couldn't. Something was wrong with his leg... he looked back at his tank, and it was burning, with Marko and Igor still in it...  
  
"Get him in!" a female voice screamed. Karl felt a pair of arms holding and carrying him away. He was still looking at his burning tank when they closed the hatch on the Type 74 Hovertruck. He peered out of one of the slits in the truck as they left, and he saw that explosions were still everywhere. They were leaving behind thirty Type 61s, twelve Zakus, and the first ground casualties of the One Year War. Among them were Igor Sakharov and Marko Sergetov...  
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Karl looked back at the plains of Odessa. It was now arid instead of snowy, but that wasn't important. He was finally going to avenge them, even if he couldn't see his work. The Guntank's 180mm tubes were elevated up the proper angle, and he stared on impassively at the clock. It was now exactly 0659 hours. One minute to go...   
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Now, as for the consistency questions I know will crop up (from all you veteran UC fans out there![like Shin;)] And for those who don't care about realism, please just skip this unless you are a mecha freak).   
  
GM Grounds were used in Odessa, so the Sniper attachment for them was probably available too. (The GM Sniper is just a GM Ground with a sniper rifle, and has no special strings attached).  
  
I put two MPT Guntanks with the arty(artillery) section. Okay it was NEVER mentioned they were deployed in Odessa, but if YOU were launching the single most important operation of the war would you hold back any strings? (and I haven't found anything saying that MPTs are exclusive to the Kojima Battalion, in fact, good bet is that the rest of the RX-79Gs went to Odessa[OR Jaburo...],though it may have been temporarily, but I won't use the RX-79s.).   
  
Since no one has a factual idea what the crew of a Type 61 is, I'm sticking with 3. One gunner, a commander and one driver. However, some tanks may be undercrewed(like the Type 74s) and have only 2 crewmen per tank(based on a pic I saw) with one gunner, and one driver.   
  
Also, I'm just covering a part of Odessa, so I won't estimate the whole ORBAT of the battle (sorry Shin, couldn't wait...I'll just rewrite it if it's way too inconsistent.[like changing the location...argh, not fair, even the 08th MS violated a heck of a lot of the Gundam canon...])   
  
I think they still have vintage artillery by UC 79 for their artillery sections( In the Original Gundam I saw a few old towed artillery pieces during the Odessa episode)  
  
Finally, and I'm sure as hell with this one. It was snowing(or rather, it HAD snowed) when Zeon took Odessa, unless Giren's Greed(PS version) screwed up big time in their original animation(Zeon Odessa Victory, I think it's no. 4 or 5)...(maybe effect of the Colony drop?) AND the Zaks used were covered in white canvas or textile(but not the same as Shin's Zaku color scheme). Also, the insignia I mentioned also appears in the Gundam Strategy game Giren's Greed with these Zakus. I believe it is a wolf clutching the Earth firmly in its fangs.  
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Real History stuff:  
Just for those who are interested, Odessa is in the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine. Lots of battles had been fought over it for the same reasons as Zeon... resources. Most memorable though, is the Battle of Balaklava. In October 25th, 1854, a 600 man British Cavalry troop was mistakenly ordered to make a hopeless charge against Russian artillery. Though hopeless, they followed their orders and were reduced to less than two-thirds their strength. Their selfless heroism though, would forever be immortalized in Alfred Tennyson's poem, Charge of the Light Brigade.   
  
Theirs is not to make reply,  
Theirs is not to reason why,  
Theirs is but to do and die  
Into the Valley of Death,  
Rode the six hundred...  
(Sorry again for poetry, but the battle is special for me and my country for a reason. Because ninety years later, _to the day_, something similar and significant would occur in my country, and would forever spark my interest in fighting ships and the men who crewed them.)  
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Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	3. Chapter 3: Shock

Chapter 3: Shock  
  
General Revil looked at the clock. It was now 0659 hours. It was time. He looked to his aide beside him and gave a short order, "Commence Operation Odessa." The aide nodded, and a flurry of radio transmissions were broadcasted from his Big Tray command post to the waiting Federation forces.  
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Sylvie was waiting for that. She looked behind her and saw a huge column of dust coming from the distance. It was the fifty-four Type 61s and Big Tray land battleship of the 71st Tank Battalion. She picked up the microphone, "This is the 44th, we are ready to rock 71st! Good to see you."  
  
"This is Colonel Sean Patterson. Remain in positions. Wait for us to arrive."  
  
"Yes sir," Sylvie was getting a little excited, but she knew the plan. Artillery and air support would go first. She checked her watch. It was now 0659 hours and 59 seconds...  
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Karl watched as the clock finally ticked to 0700 hours. He checked the computations one more time, and satisfied they were accurate, depressed the trigger. An enormous blast shook the Guntank as two 180mm shells were ejected from its guns, flying into the air at the speed of sound. It was followed by more shells a second later, as the rest of the battalion's guns opened fire.  
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The Zeon lookout blinked hard as he saw the huge column of Type 61 tanks heading towards him. There were more than 50 of them, and there was no way they could stop that many. They won't attack, huh? He thought angrily. To hell with that yellow bellied Ma Kube! He picked up his radio and sent a distress transmission. He was just about to pick up his bazooka when he heard the whistling sound of artillery coming from above. He looked up, just in time to see death coming...  
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"Well done, Artillery!" Sylvie declared as she recorded the damage in her gun-mounted camera. Many shells scored hits on the Zeon vehicles, even though they were in protective foxholes. Although the older 155mm shells were unable to completely destroy most vehicles, the new 180mm shells were devastating. She saw one of the Zakus at the base of the hill take a 180mm hit right on top if its head, shattering the Mobile Suit all the way down to the torso before disappearing in a massive fireball. After the minute long bombardment, six of the Magella Attack Tanks were burning, and smoke spoke of less serious damage on others. The forces on top of the hill though, were more fortunate. Though both turrets were shattered, all six Zakus were still relatively intact. Not for long though.  
  
High above the clouds above her, forty-eight FlyManthas Bombers of the 3rd Bomber group were waiting for exactly for that moment. They dived down from the sky, taking the surprised Zakus below by surprise. The Zakus fired sporadically at the incoming aircraft, killing four, but were unable to stop the attack. One by one, the FlyManthas dropped their bomb loads, filling the hill top with explosions. Three of the Zakus were killed, two more were damaged, as the lone undamaged Zaku tried to fire back at the now retreating aircraft. Suddenly, a highly concentrated red beam hit its chest and burned right through the reactor, exploding the suit.  
  
"MAX!" Sylvie shouted angrily. The beam had come from him, and the orders had been to remain concealed until...  
  
"They were a threat to the planes, don't worry it's just one charge," he replied coolly.  
  
Sylvie frowned, that wasn't the real reason why he'd fired. It was because of somebody in the air group. But she could understand, couldn't she?  
  
"What the hell was that firing for?!" an angry voice demanded that made Sylvie cringe. It was her immediate commanding officer, Captain Lars Breivik.   
  
"Rifle fired a shot to cover the FlyManthas sir, I don't think..."  
  
"Alright Sylvie, enough!" he interrupted,"44th Tactical Mobile Suit Company! Let's go!"  
  
A total of six RGM 79G GM Ground types suddenly rose from the ground from their protective camouflaged holes. There were three MS in both left and right flanks of the 71st Battalion's tanks, and they began to fire their 100mm machine guns at the Zeon positions as the Type 61 tanks started to move rapidly towards the hill...  
-----------------------------   
The new MS were welcome, Captain Dave Anderson thought as he checked his Type 61's guns, but he was sure that the tanks alone could handle them now. A veteran tank company commander, he was familiar with Zeon tactics, and he was sure their new tactics would work against them. Before, Zakus had great success against Type 61s thanks to the long reload time of the 150mm guns compared to their machine guns. The Zakus simply hid under cover, waited for the Federation tanks to fire an opening, often ineffective, volley, and then slaughter them as they tried to reload. Not anymore though, as the Type 61s charged towards the Zakus at break neck speed...  
---------------------------  
The pilot of the surviving Zaku at the base of the hill watched as the Type 61s headed for them. There were some humanoid type Federation machines in the distance, but they were still too far away to be a threat. The Type 61's 150mm guns had a slight range advantage compared to his machine gun, and so he was waiting for them to fire first. He had already drilled himself on how to react against Type 61s, just like the manual said, although he hadn't fought this many. Well, he'd get as many of them as he could. Beside him, the longer ranged Magella Attack Tanks began firing, scoring a few kills on the advancing force...  
---------------------------  
Dave and the rest of the tanks had just reached optimal firing range. There were only 49 of them now. Five tanks had been exploded from the 175mm shells fired by the Magella Attacks. He scowled, but losses were unavoidable. And they'd get back at them, he was sure. Their new tactics called for each tank to have a "wing man." The two tanks would fire alternately, ensuring that a constant, though less powerful fire would be maintained on the Zeon forces. He watched as his wingman and around half of the tanks in the battalion fired. It probably wouldn't be effective, but if he adjusted his guns and waited for that Zaku to come out...  
-------------------------  
The Zaku pilot ducked his MS down the foxhole to avoid the fire. Shells exploded around him, but none found their mark yet. As the firing subsided, he blessed his luck, and started to get up to fire back. He was shocked to see the horizon flash yellow again....  
---------------------------  
"Gotcha!" Dave shouted as he hit the Zaku in the head. Its mono-eye was shattered, and began to fire wildly, before a second volley from his wingman killed it altogether. Around it, all but one Magella Attack was burning, and the pilot of that tank was now waving a white flag. Smart of him, he thought. From the hill top, the shattered pieces of the two formerly damaged Zakus now littered the rocky slopes, and 71st Battalion had just accomplished its primary mission.  
----------------------  
Sylvie smiled as she heard the victory report from the lead tanks. Now they were moving around the hill to strike into the Zeon rear. The forces assaulting the main defenses were having a tough time, but they had been weakened on the expectation that the treacherous General Elran would not attack this particular sector. Well, they got that b*****d now, and Zeon was paying for it, "Earl, any business coming for us?"  
  
"I'm hearing a Dabude artillery track from a distance, but it's too far away as of yet."  
  
"That's good," Captain Lars interjected, "Now, Rifle, Sylvie, relocate to positions just east of the hill. The rest of you, follow me to the top of the hill. It's not over yet people."   
----------------------  
Consistency stuff:  
The tank battalion numbers are based on present day numbers(54).  
The Type 61 tactics are my own ideas. They are based on gaming experience and logic.  
120mm machine guns fire very quickly(perhaps too quickly) and loading two shells takes longer than one, even with an autoloader. The 150mm having a better range can be seen in all G-Gen games(range of 6 vs the Zak's 4). The 180mm being capable of killing a Zak with one hit is based on stats in the Blood of Zeon game. 


	4. Chapter 4: Counter Attack!

Well, finally, a reviewer, and an anonymous one at that ^_^.  
  
I do thank you for your comments(umm... could you do a re-post so I could catch your name?), and yes I do realize that my character descriptions had been sorely lacking. It was intentional, as I did not want to show any unnescessary racial biases in my physical descriptions, but I will rectify that in the re-write. As I've said though, this fic has already been finished and has already been published elsewhere( at http://www.newtype-asylum.com The art works for the fic are also there ^_^), and I'm just re-publishing it here in the ffnet, so I won't be able to correct too many things in it(sparse chara descriptions, repetetive technical specs etc) until I do a major re-write for all its versions, which isn't forthcoming as I have school work and projects to attend to. Thanks for the comments and suggestions though ^_^.  
  
Chapter 4: Counter Attack!  
  
The initial battle had gone well, Col. Sean Patterson thought. They had managed to take Hill 14 with the loss of only five tanks. His Big Tray and tanks as well as two of the 44th's GMs were now taking up positions on the opposite side of the hill, preparing to strike deep into the Zeon rear, while four RGM-79s were now digging in on the top of the hill. He was glad to have been part of the operation. For the past several weeks he had been suspected of collaborating with the enemy. Fortunately, the real culprit, Elran, had been caught, and Revil had made sure he still had his command. Well, most Federation officers, even some of his subordinates, were pencil-pushers unlike him, who didn't really belong in the battlefield. He looked up at the sky as a Federation Dish swept low over his Big Tray, scanning the field before returning to high altitude.  
----------------------  
"Those 71st guys had a big day," 2nd Lieutenant Dan Pearson, pilot of the Dish, observed as he leveled his plane off in the clouds. The Dish had four TIN Cod fighter planes escorting it, but it was safer to be hidden in the clouds, especially considering they had almost no armaments onboard.  
  
"Fuzzy contact bearing 001, almost dead ahead," the radar techie reported from behind him.  
  
Pearson frowned, the Dish had a very powerful radar installed in its flat frame similar to the 20th Century AWACs. However, Minovsky particles, even though they were less effective on Earth, greatly reduced its capabilities. "Do we have any reserve fighters left for our sector?"  
  
"Sir," the radio operator reported, "Most of the TINs and FlyManthas have been diverted to the main Zeon defenses. I can only get a pair of Dep Rogs."  
  
Pearson frowned. The Dep Rogs were a bomber platform, not a fighter. He didn't want to send them off to what may be waiting enemy fighters. However, the loss of this Dish would be even more serious. It was the fastest link to high command in this sector, and its loss could cause delays in air support or even confusion among their lines. He made his decision. "Send them in."  
  
The radio operator nodded, and within a minute two Dep Rogs pulled alongside the Dish. Pearson looked at the cockpit of the lead Dep Rog and saw the pilot shaking his hand in anger. The pilot obviously didn't like his decision, but he had no choice, didn't he? Both Dep Rogs started to overtake his Dish, and he watched them from behind. Out of nowhere, a streak of fire shot up from below and hit the lead Dep Rog's tail. The bomber shuddered as it took the hit, before disintegrating in a ball of flame...  
  
"What the hell was that!?" Pearson demanded. Suddenly around him two more TINS exploded along with the second Dep Rog. He instinctively rolled hard to the right and began to dive out of the clouds. Four rockets streaked beside his plane, followed by the familiar shape of a Zeon fighter. A Dopp! He thought angrily, how the hell did that get here?! "Radio operator! Signal mayday, we are engaging..." he started before his jaw dropped at the sight before him. It was a massive Gau airborne carrier, its mega particle cannons already trained out at them...  
-----------------------  
"Sir, I've lost contact with our Dish," Sylvie reported, "I think we had better tell the Colonel sir."  
  
"Probably just Minovsky interference," Breivik replied in annoyed tone.  
  
"But sir..." Sylvie started, but decided to stop herself. Breivik was just too narrow minded unlike her former COs, being called a "Barbarian" or "Berserker" by most of his men for his preferance for brawns over brains. And the Colonel probably knew anyway unless his radio man was asleep or something. She looked at Max's GM Sniper as it stopped a few hundred meters from the base of the hill. "Hey, Rifle, why did you stop?"  
  
"What's the Dish's last position," Max suddenly asked.  
  
"Um... just west of us... why?" Sylvie asked nervously. Max had an uncanny intuition. Intuition on possible danger that had saved her life countless times...  
  
Max set the large cooling unit of his GM Sniper down on the ground before beginning to attach the various cooling cables on the unit. Sylvie frowned, the Captain was going to kill them both again...  
  
"RIFLE! That's not where you were ordered to set up!" Breivik boomed angrily over the radio.   
  
"Captain, I think Harper may be on to something about the Dish..." Sylvie started.  
  
"I'll tell you when I want your opinion LIEUTENANT," Lars replied testily. Sylvie fumed at that... even if she was just a Lieutenant at least she had several months...  
  
"I have visual air contact, coming from the West," Harper reported calmly.  
  
"This is the 71st! We are not reading any friendly units in that area!" Col. Patterson reported.  
  
Uh-oh, Sylvie thought. Max was right again. Damn it, he was always right all the time even if he...  
  
"I have some twenty Dopps and Dodais, approaching Hill 14 fast." Max reported with a slight bit of concern in his voice. How could he remain that calm? Sylvie thought, before shaking her head. It wasn't time..."Pat, find some cover!" and she immediately felt her Hovertruck start moving towards one of abandoned Zeon foxholes. She suddenly heard the whistling sound of falling bombs on the other side of the hill...  
---------------------------  
On the other side of the hill, the forty nine Type 61s and two GMs were also preparing to orient themselves against the approaching aircraft when the bombs came. They had been caught completely by surprise by a Gau that had hidden itself by flying in the clouds. The GMs managed to get away in time, but not the tanks. Seven tanks exploded from the first batch of bombs dropped, while three more died in the second, before the rest of them managed to scatter.  
  
Dave had heard the bombs falling, and had ordered his tanks to scatter early. He was lucky. Only one of his 15 tanks was caught in the explosions. He looked up angrily at the sky and manned the 12.7 mm machine gun in the tank's hatch. It was a new feature in the newest Type 61s, and it was built expressly for anti air use. Not for something that big and high though, as he vainly tried to shoot at the hulking air carrier. Suddenly, a continuous red beam hit the base of its left wing, in the engine section. The beam easily burned through the heavy armor, and caused a series of explosions that cracked the wing's superstructure. The wing broke apart, and the Gau tumbled down from the sky, pieces of it breaking off as it rapidly approached the ground...  
---------------------------  
Sylvie had never thought she'd see an explosion as big as that on Earth. The Gau's reactor had exploded as it smashed into the ground, detonating into a massive fireball that equaled those that she had seen in the Ruum. It was an awesome sight, but she quickly tore her eyes away from it. The sky was now filling with Zeon aircraft, Zeon Dopps and Dodais in groups of four, who were all heading for the hill top. "Earl, call for air support fast," below her, Earl had already abandoned his ground sonar in favor of a radio. After all, ground sonar was ineffective against planes, and Sylvie was a better gunner. Unfortunately though, the loss of the Dish would delay that air support for quite sometime. Well, at least she'd get herself some fighters first, she thought. She aimed her 25mm machine gun carefully at the leading set of Dopps, just waiting for them to get within range...  
---------------------------   
Lance Corporal Juan Ignacio readied his 100mm GM machine gun on top of Hill 14. The three other Mobile Suits on the hilltop, the Captain among them, were also getting ready for the incoming Zeon aircraft. The Dodai bombers mainly stayed in the background he saw, firing rockets at the ground. The Dodais had a big range advantage, he knew, and it was just a pity he couldn't engage them. The rockets they fired could not kill a Mobile Suit, but they were annoying nonetheless, peppering his suit with fragments and causing minor damage. But the Dopps did not have that range advantage though, most of which were now heading towards him at high speed, and he was going to get them before they could do some damage. He aimed his gun at the first group of four, before anti-air fire from the ground decimated the group and killed three of them while forcing the fourth to break off. He shifted his fire to the next set of four right behind the first and fired. One Dopp went down, two more exploded from the fire of his wing woman, Martha Sanderson, while a fourth was damaged by the Captain. He grinned. Zeon had sent eight Dopps, and they were getting only two back. Maybe this job wasn't so bad after...  
  
"Juan! Two Zakus and a blue one on Dodais, coming in from above!" Martha warned.  
  
Juan looked up to see three MS in their Dodai "flying carpets" heading towards them at high speed. One Zaku was hit and killed by a shot from Max's GM Sniper, but the other two kept coming. Juan fired at the blue Gouf, but it jumped off at the last moment, causing him to hit and kill the unfortunate Dodai instead. He tried to shift fire, but it was too fast... Before he could react it extended a whip like weapon at Martha's GM. Known as a heat rod, it was an electrified cable used for shorting out Federation MS. It hit Martha's GM right on its monosensor, shattering it while disabling the suit's controls with several thousand volts of electricity. Juan fired at the Gouf just at it pulled out a heat sword and started to swing it towards Martha's GM. The Gouf was killed by half a dozen 100mm shells that hit its chest, but he was too late, the Gouf had stabbed the GM right in the cockpit area, and he was no longer getting any signal from Martha...  
  
"More MS approaching!" the Captain's booming voice reported. Juan looked around to see that the second Zaku had been killed by the Captain's wing man, Sergeant Fred Chan, but more MS were now coming from the west on foot. He picked up one of the bazookas that they had stowed on the hill top as he tried to cope with the shock. It was, he thought as he looked at Martha's burning GM, going to be a long day bloody day...   
-----------------------------  
"Earl... where is that air support?!" Sylvie asked worriedly as she surveyed the new arrivals. A total of 2 Goufs and 4 Zakus, with a six Magellas in support. Not good.  
  
"This is Dave Anderson of 12th Company! More MS coming from the North! WHERE IS THAT AIR SUPPORT!!!??? They've got a Dabude with them! Oh ****! They are firing at the Big Tray!"  
  
Just to emphasize that point, Sylvie heard a series of explosions on the other side of the hill. She gritted her teeth... how the hell did that slow moving Dabude battleship get here so fast?! "EARL! AIR SUPPORT! NOW!!!!"  
  
"Sylvie... I think you'd better hear this..." was Earl's scared reply.  
------------------------------  
A few miles away in an underground silo, several Zeon soldiers hurried with their preparations. Unlike most silos which held HLVs, this one had a far more sinister and powerful payload. Carrying an old nuclear missile that was supposed to have been dismantled after the Antarctic Treaty, it was kept hidden by commanding general Ma Kube for an occasion just like this. The Zeon Colonel in charge of the base received the final confirmation, and he watched as the rocket's engines began to ignite...  
--------------------------------  
Not again... Oh dear God, please, not again. I don't want to see that again! Sylvie thought as she heard the near panicked conversations going around her. The main forces had just received an ultimatum from General Ma Kube ordering the Feds to halt or he would use a nuclear weapon. She'd seen those damn things enough. More than enough. Sylvie blood chilled as she received an unusually cool report from the main Federation Forces...  
  
"Warning. Zeon use of NBC weapons confirmed, one nuclear missile heading for the main group... ETA 2 minutes..."  
--------------------------------  
On the other side of that transmission, the Federation radio officer tried to keep his voice as calm as he could as he gave the details of the missile launch. His calmness wasn't only because of his own personal efforts, it was also because he knew something that many others did not. The "White MS"... the Gundam, was on its way to stop it... but could it? He wondered. He looked at the timer. In any case, he'd know in 87 seconds...   
--------------------------------  
Consistency stuff:  
I'm following the events in the series, not the movie, ok? So don't ask why the Gundam is in Odessa.  
NBC stands for NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL, or CHEMICAL Weapons. Using them today merits an instant and annihilating response.  
The "flying carpet" quote comes from Mark Simmon's description of support mecha.  
Dodai's weapons having a better range comes from the game Giren's Greed. It has a range of 2 compared to the normal 1. 


	5. Chapter 5: A Brother in Arms

Chapter 5: A Brother in Arms  
  
It had to be him, Colonel Sean Patterson thought as he peered out of the Big Tray's now damaged bridge. Outside, he saw not one, but TWO Dabude class land battleships, escorted by several MS, that were now hitting his Big Tray hard. He was a little impressed at how quickly they had reacted. Well, HE had to be the one commanding them, and he just loved two-pronged attacks. He picked up his radio and ordered his surviving tanks and guns to fire. They complied, and he could soon see flashes on the Zeon positions as his men scored hits on them. He knew about the coming A-bomb and the charging MS from the west, but regardless of what was happening elsewhere, he still had to hold this hill. Failing to do so would have as severe a consequence as a nuclear warhead detonating over the main group...  
-------------------------  
"Sylvie! Snap out of it, what is going on in the other side!" Max said over the radio in an annoyed tone. He had already fired twice at the group that has appeared in the West, killing a Gouf and a Zaku while a few bazooka shots from the hilltop took out four of the supporting Magellas. But the rest had closed towards the hill in a headlong rush, ignoring him and Sylvie, and his laser was just recharging too slowly for him to be able to engage more targets before they got on the hilltop. And there was no way he could fire when they got up there...   
  
Luckily, the charge indicator blipped green once again, just before they reached the hilltop, and he fired, this time at a Zaku squadron leader. It was split in half and exploded, but the rest had managed to use their thrusters and had landed on the hilltop, and he had no line of sight on them now, while his heavy rifle kept him from joining the melee going on above. "SYLVIE! I am moving out to the other side, and screw the nuke!" he said in a slightly excited tone.   
---------------------------  
Had Sylvie really heard that last statement, she would normally have been terrified since Max was too cool a guy to be excited. Not now though, as she was frantically trying to re-establish radio contact with the main group. She had lost them just after the nuke warning came in, and all efforts to get further information had failed. She checked the clock. Five seconds to impact. She peered out of the hatch regardless of the 175mm shells that were now being fired at her Hovertruck and looked to the East. She looked on helplessly... knowing only a miracle could stop that nuke. She just looked on, knowing a blinding flash was about to come... now.  
  
But nothing happened. She waited for a few seconds more that seemed like an eternity, but no mushroom cloud appeared. She was so surprised that she hadn't noticed that she had been hit by some shrapnel in her shoulder. She pressed her hand on the wounds as the pain began to assert itself, and she quickly scrambled down the hatch as more shells exploded around her Hover truck. Below, two angry faces were waiting for her.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!!!!????" Earl shouted angrily at Sylvie. Pat would have said that also, but he was still busy evading enemy fire. "Are you trying to get killed?!"  
  
"Umm... sorry guys. I sorta freaked out there... what did Max say again?" she asked, embarrassed with her performance. But the fear of seeing so many die again... And knowing she might live while they might die...  
  
"I said I was just took out those Magellas for you," Max said calmly as his beam destroyed the last two Magellas, "And I'm now transferring to the other side. The hill top's getting messy though."  
  
"Thanks Max..." Sylvie replied in a weak tone. He had saved her, again. Damn it... not again... "We're following you now..."  
  
"Get yourself patched up first, Sylvie, Rifle out."  
------------------------------  
They did it. General Revil thought somberly. The White Base had performed just as he expected. But he still had a few problems in his hands. "How is Hill 14 doing? Do we have any further reports?"  
  
"Sir, we've lost contact with them, but it could just be..." an aide started.  
  
"Once the 3rd and 4th Bomber groups are done rearming and refueling, send them there. That hilltop must remain ours at all cost."  
-------------------------  
Trying to keep the hill top might just be the last thing he'd ever do, Juan thought. The death of Martha was the start of a nightmare, and one he could not wake up from. Fortunately, it was now a fairly even fight thanks to Max, two Zakus and a Gouf against the three surviving GMs, but the GMs had been slightly damaged by both the Magella Attacks and the Dodais, and the pilot of the Gouf pilot was a definitely an ace. Fred was already down, both of his MS's legs had been chopped off by the Gouf, though he had managed to stab a Zaku that had tried to finish him off. Unfortunately, the dead Zaku was now on top of him and Fred was pretty much out of it. The Captain however, was going berserk, firing his 100mm wildly at the evading Gouf. That left him in a one on one fight with a Desert Zaku.   
  
The Desert Zaku was inferior to Juan's GM, but the enemy pilot was up to the challenge, and Juan quickly lost an arm from the Zaku's hand rockets, while it had evaded his return volley. Juan was hit by a few bursts of 105mm shells but fortunately, the tough Luna-Titanium armor on his special semi-prototype GM deflected it off. Realizing the 105mm was largely useless, the Zaku produced a heat axe, and stood in a menacing pose as it got ready to charge. And the blade could DEFINITELY penetrate his armor.   
  
Juan discarded his machine gun and produced his own beam saber, just in time to block the initial slash. The Zaku swung his axe again, but Juan managed to swing his saber back this time. The Zaku beheaded his GM just as he chopped off one of the Zaku's legs, and the Zaku collapsed on the ground while Juan swung his blade wildly until the backup camera came on line, not realizing he had hit the Zaku. He looked on the ground and saw the Zaku sprawled on the ground, disabled, and its pilot already bailing out. Juan considered finishing it off and taking the pilot prisoner for a moment, but looking at the Captain's badly damaged suit, he decided that he had better try to take out the second Gouf instead.   
  
Juan picked up his machine gun and aimed at the still-undamaged Gouf. The Gouf, still distracted by the Captain, was now vulnerable from his fire. He grinned, even ace pilots had their day...He fired a three round burst at its cockpit that finally killed the Gouf, but as it went down, the 75mm finger guns were still firing, hitting the Captain's GM in both knees, right on the joint, and his suit collapsed down on the ground, unable to move.   
  
"Dammit! Juan! Get help! My suit is busted!" the Captain ordered angrily.   
  
Juan looked down towards the base of the hill. One look told him that help was something that help was what they needed a lot of. Now.  
---------------------------  
"This is Rifle, I am setting up now just east of the tank forces, anybody left there?" Max asked as he began to set up his laser. The spot he picked wasn't perfect, but at least it was rugged enough to hide his GM for about two or three shots. And he needed to make them count, big time. There was a total of fifteen enemy suits and two land battleships on the horizon. Four of the MS were blue high-performance types, although one of them and two Zaku IIs were down from the tank fire. Unfortunately, the tanks were faring much worse, he was sure.  
  
"This is Captain Dave Anderson! My company is down to eight working tanks, I think we've lost at least twenty. I need help now! The GMs are still active, but my tanks are going to run out of ammo very... OH ****! They are charging us!!!"  
  
Max immediately turned his attention back towards the line and saw that they were indeed coming. One Zaku II exploded just as it began to charge, but the rest of the tank's volley was deflected by shields or evaded. It meant that whoever trained these guys was one hell of a commander. Nonetheless, he aimed at one of the Dabudes first. They were the command platforms, and they were the key to disrupting the attack. One was already burning from the hits of the Big Tray, but the second was unscathed. Not for long, as a five second long laser burst sliced off its command towers, destroying them all and abruptly causing confusion among the MS force. Seizing this opportunity, he fired again. This time at a squad leader Gouf, right at the cockpit and killing it instantly. Unfortunately, an alert Zaku II leader saw him, and they weren't ignoring him like the first batch. He fired at the squad leader, exploding it, but by then three Zakus had opened fire at him. He dropped his rifle and started to run away, his rifle was useless now, and he had to fight like the other GMs. His decision proved wise, because scarcely three seconds later, Zaku Bazookas reduced his discarded rifle to rubble.  
  
"Need some weapons?" a female voice asked. Max looked at were it came from, and saw it was Sylvie, and her Hovertruck's storage racks were brimming with ammo and spare weapons.  
  
"Thanks Sylvie, you have some 150mm shells with you?"  
  
"No, the tanker's ammo trucks are being hit by the Dodais right now, and the AA section is dealing with them. The only thing I could get is a pair of MPT Guntanks, but they'll take a while."   
  
Max nodded as he picked up a 100mm. The ten surviving enemy suits had stopped their charge, but he knew that was going to change soon. And it was a good thing his Sniper got rid of that rifle, now he could maneuver it is as well as an ordinary Ground Type. He started to dash towards the battlefield, Sylvie right behind him.  
--------------------------  
Brigadier General Erwin von Bock of the Zeon 3rd Brigade waited patiently for reports in his Gau command carrier. He wanted to be there, but he knew his place. He made some mistakes, he knew, and the humanoid machines the Feds had were an unruly surprise, but he had the enemy battalion in the ropes now, despite his losses. He shouldn't have told the western attack group to rush up the hill like that, he thought, as it had cost his men dear, but he didn't dwell on that now. If he took the hill, he might be able to outflank the main Federation forces about to breakthrough the main defenses. He looked at his very short tally of reserves. He only had two of them and he wanted to use them later, but he decided that if not, he might be too late.  
------------------------  
The field was now covered with smoke from all the burning vehicles, but the two GMs, Max saw, were still intact and taking shelter behind the Big Tray. One of them quickly stood out of cover for a moment and fired, severing an arm off a Zaku, before heading back. He recognized the suit, it was of his old buddy, George Axel.  
  
"What took you Rifle?" he asked somberly. They had been holding the line for what seemed to be an awful long time, and only the profligate use of now dwindling ammo had kept the enemy at bay. "Good to see you brought us some spare clips, how about the tanks?"  
  
"Ammo trucks got slaughtered, I don't think..."  
  
"Damn it Max! We need ammo now!" He screamed angrily as his wingman ducked out of cover and fired. A rocket suddenly streaked towards the second GM and hit it. The GM looked strangely intact, and still upright... until Max saw to his horror that the cockpit was open, and burning. Beside the GM, a parachute floated towards the ground, on fire. It had been ejected automatically, but there was no pilot....  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE!!??" a new voice screamed over the radio. Max recognized it as the tank Captain that he had talked to earlier, Anderson. Max looked back towards the Zeon positions and saw two new MS. A pair of huge, fat MS, each brandishing a huge bazooka mounted on its shoulder.  
  
"Those are the new MS that the Black Trinary used in an earlier encounter," Colonel Patterson announced quietly over the intercom, "Damn Zeon! I thought they were only prototypes!"  
  
Those new MS were in fact, MS-09 Doms. The new Zeon mass produced ground combat mobile suit. And their capabilities were nothing short of awesome. And they aimed their main weapon, a huge 360mm bazooka, right at the Big Tray.   
  
"Damn it..." the Colonel started. A pair of 360mm rockets then impacted his Big Tray and cut his transmission short. Dave then ordered his tanks to fire madly as the whole Zeon line began to advance. There were, in fact, 22 tanks left, but 4 were out of ammo, and the Goufs proved too maneuverable and well armored for their guns. Not the Zakus though, two Zakus fell victim to their opening volley, but then both Doms rushed pass the rest of the Zeon forces, travelling on a super-heated cushion of air generated by the Dom's leg thrusters, at a mind boggling 240 kilometers per hour. And far too fast for any of the tanks to react...  
  
George had just started to aim at the first Dom when a blinding light suddenly filled his eyes. It was the Dom's beam spray gun, and though it was incapable of doing real damage, the few seconds distraction it gave was enough to seal his fate. He fired wildly, but to no avail. A point blank bazooka shot from the Dom exploded his suit and reduced it to rubble.  
  
Max saw that, and could hardly contain the rage that he felt. But a second Dom was on him, and he had no time. An opening shot by the Dom missed, but so did his return volley. The Dom stopped for a moment for a better aim, but then a lucky 150mm shell from Dave hit the Dom, wrecking its bazooka. The Dom was dazed, but had immediately produced a heat blade and charged Max. He fired at the oncoming Dom, missing, and missing again, but finally hit the Dom in the arm just as it was about to cut him in half. The arm broke off, along with its melee weapon and Max turned to finish it off, but then a pair of shells exploded the Dom. He looked behind him, and saw that the two MPT Guntanks had arrived, smoke rising from the barrels of one of them.  
  
"Captain Karl here, we're ready to..." his transmission was suddenly interrupted by the surviving Dom as it killed Karl's wingman with his last rocket, "Damn it! Get that guy!"  
  
Max was already firing at the Dom as it pulled out its own heat blade. It was a one on one fight now. The rest of the tanks and a surviving headless GM on the hilltop were busy keeping the main MS force from breaking through. The Dom evaded, and rushed towards him, again firing the beam spray gun that blinded him. By the time his vision returned, his suit had lost an arm, and the Dom was behind him. He started to turn around... knowing that it would be too late to....  
------------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	6. Chapter 6: One Man's Honor

WZA and Mirai-  
  
Hiya guys! I had no idea you were around here in ffnet too ^_^. Well, okay, not WZA, since I knew he was here doing project AKO stuff before... But anyway, thanks!  
  
The Anonymous One-   
  
Nope, Juan is not dead. It was Martha, his wingwoman, who bites it, and she barely gets any description at all. I know, this was my second fic, so my character designs were stiill pretty bad, but I think I managed to flesh them all out near the end. Thanks for your continued reading.  
  
BTW, you're not the author of "For the True Glory of Zeon!" are you? ^_^.  
  
Mr. Gold- Thanks ^_^. If you'd like to see the rest of it in advance just visit http://www.newtype-asylum.com . It is in the Gundamania section.  
  
Chapter 6: One Man's Honor  
  
Max was sure he was dead, but the finishing blow never came. As he turned, he saw an enraged Sylvie, in her Hovertruck's 30mm turret, shooting like crazy at the Dom while Pat ran the truck around it in circles. Normally, the Dom would have ignored her, but she had scored a lot of hits in the mono eye area, temporarily blinding the Dom as it tried to literally stomp her into the ground. He wasn't about to let the enemy suit to do that to her after saving his life, Max thought, as he pulled a beam saber from its knee compartment with his good arm. The Dom's backup camera came back on line and it once again faced him, but by then he was charging the Dom.   
  
He swung his sword, but the Dom had just managed to block his sword slash. Then, the laws of physics took over. The Dom's sword, like all Zeon melee weapons of the time, was made of a very heat resistant metal to allow it to be heated to high temperatures to melt metal, but the force of the slash, coupled with the extreme temperatures created by the super heated plasma trapped in the saber's I field, broke the sword apart. The blade then continued on into the torso of the Zeon suit, cutting it open and exposing numerous internal circuits within the Dom. Max considered not finishing it off, after all it was a new suit, but the enemy pilot didn't seem to be in a surrendering mood, and Max was not going to take any chances. A final stab to the chest finished off the Dom.  
  
"Max... are you..." Sylvie asked, hardly breathing.  
  
"I need a new arm, but I'm ok," Max replied coolly as he picked up another 100mm MG. The other Zeon MS were now almost on top of the tankers, he saw, and the tanks had just about run out of ammo. Not good, "Sylvie, thanks, but unless we get any further reinforcements, we are dead."  
  
"Working on it... and... don't mention it, just returning the favor..." Sylvie replied quietly. Well, maybe today is a good day to die...she thought as he picked up the radio again. She looked at Pat and Earl, they were both exchanging playful looks on their faces, despite the carnage going on around them. Sylvie considered beaning those two, but decided against it. Back to work..."MAYDAY! MAYDAY! 71st here! Request..."  
--------------------------  
Juan was the only one on the hilltop who could still fight. Both Fred and the Captain simply couldn't move with their busted legs. He emptied his last clip of 100mm and picked up a bazooka. Only one shot left, but at least it'd be more effective at closer range. The bad news was there were still eight active enemy suits, and only 12 tanks and 1 GM Sniper left to oppose them...  
---------------------------  
This is it. This was just it. Four tanks left in his company, Dave thought. An MPT Guntank and GM Sniper were a nice addition, but there was just too many. He fired two shots at a Gouf, only to see it get deflected. Damn their armor! He thought angrily... He considered telling his driver to bail out now, but he doubted that he'd live outside an armored shell with all the shrapnel flying around. He watched as the Gouf pointed its 75mms at him, and knew that was it, but then it took a bazooka hit and went down, its cockpit a mass of flames. Well...on second thoughts... maybe not yet! "Driver! Let's get outta here, NOW! All tanks, pull back, we've had it!" He ordered, and he saw all the Type 61s start running, some still firing back. He too searched the field for one last target, and seeing a Zaku squadron leader, he aimed at its cockpit and fired.  
-----------------------------  
"Sir, I have lost contact from the ground commander," an aide reported grimly, "His subordinate is reporting severe losses. Both Doms have been lost. And sir... the main defenses..."  
  
"Have been breached," General von Bock replied quietly. The aide nodded. The General looked out into the clouds. Whatever he did now, it was over. The Feds were going to get Odessa back. He considered the situation for a moment. He had not yet received an order to fall back, but he had reports of two bomber groups and additional ground forces on the way to Hill 14. It was just too much. He could not let them die anymore. "Order all units, withdraw now. Tell them to gather at the HLV base or get to our second Gau. Our Gau and supporting air units will cover them till then," he then paused, and then spoke again, "I'm sorry men, and please be careful."  
  
The aide nodded. The General didn't need to say or do that anymore, they all knew, but that was the man he was. A Gau and eight Dopps against a pair of air groups huh? Ninety plus planes in those groups...He thought. Well, he'd follow his general to hell, probably literally in this case. He issued the appropriate commands.   
-----------------------------  
"What the...?" Max asked as he saw the Zeon forces begin to fall back. They were doing so at full speed, though they were careful to recover wounded and stranded soldiers, especially from the Dabudes. He didn't fire at them, lest they come back, but he was still surprised.  
  
"Max, I've finally reached Revil's HQ, they've done it! They have broken through the main Zeon defenses!" Sylvie reported triumphantly. Max looked at her, and saw a few tears in her eyes. She quickly blinked them away, embarrassed. Well, he thought, it IS nicer to be on the winning side for once.  
------------------------------  
"Colonel sir, they are falling back..." an aide reported to Col. Patterson, "Should we...?"  
  
"No, don't fire. Let them go," he said simply. That's what that man would have done too, if the positions were reversed.  
------------------------------  
Regardless of the elation going on in the ground, 1st Lieutenant Maurice Evans still had a job to do. She and the other members of her air group had been quickly ordered back to the 71st area right after they returned from a fairly successful mission. The situation was confused, but it seemed that the enemy counter attack had been defeated. However, she and the rest of the FlyManthas had a very different mission from what she expected. Ordinarily, they would be slaughtering those fleeing Zeon units, but according to HQ they were about to be surrounded, and probably better off captured. Her job now was to find any surviving enemy air units.   
  
The FlyMantha wasn't the best fighter in the inventory, the TIN and the Sabrefish were lot better in terms of air to air combat, since it was primarily a bomber platform. But they had a lot of them, and they carried a big load of deadly, though somewhat inaccurate, air to air missiles just in case. And after jettisoning the bombs, they were also a lot more maneuverable. Good enough to take on a dinky Dopp any day, though she was hunting for bigger fry.   
  
"Dish 2 here, reporting that the 4th Bombers is taking on a couple of Dodais that attacked the battalion supply column," a cool radio technician reported from a backup Dish aircraft that had replaced the first one, "I'm getting a LOT of radio chatter bearing 200 of your position 3rd Bomber, I'll bet it's the Gau command craft we've been hunting. The group leader has given you guys the go order, give'm hell!" he encouraged.  
  
Maurice nodded and headed for the bearing stated, following close behind her group leader. It was a cloudy day, and they were flying in it to avoid being seen. She knew that Dish could barely detect them with radar now with all the Minovsky interference, and the Dish was probably better than a Gau in terms of radar capability. PROBABLY.  
  
"Echo 2 here, Tallyho! I've got me a damaged Dopp limping home, bearing 200."  
  
"Hold fire, repeat, hold fire," the group leader ordered. He wanted to follow that guy home, and lead him to the carrier. Now only if they weren't seen...  
--------------------------------  
The Dopp pilot had already had a bad day. He had nearly died from a 100mm hit in a diversionary effort on Hill 14, and had spent the last few minutes dodging a huge group of FlyManthas in the clouds. At least he could make it to the carrier now, as he dove clear of the clouds that had been his refuge. He positioned himself right behind the Gau, ready to make a landing...  
--------------------------------  
"What is that Dopp doing here?" General von Bock asked, "Wasn't he..."  
  
"Sir, he is reporting severe damage and..."  
  
"Scramble the remaining Dopps... we aren't sure if he was followed."  
---------------------------------  
"I got one big transport up my sights!" Maurice declared over the intercom, "Tallyho! Let's get us some Zeon flyboys!"  
  
"3rd Bomber, show'm what you're made of!" The group commander ordered. Soon, the forty-four FlyManthas dove out of the clouds and charged the huge Gau.   
  
But the eight Dopps that were guarding it got the word just in time. They dived out of their cover and picked targets for their rockets. The FlyManthas were surprised by this, and four were felled by missiles. One more went down to gunfire, but by then the rest of the FlyManthas had scattered and turned on the Zeon planes.  
  
Maurice was pretty angry now, and she was going to get her some Zeon planes. Her first target was damaged Dopp, remarkably still trying to fight. A burst from her cannon exploded it before it even had a chance to see where she was. She picked up altitude and searched the sky for another target. She found one, a Dopp who was trying to put away a FlyMantha with his guns. She quickly put herself into a tail chase position while the other FlyMantha managed to break off. The Dopp was a little slow to realize she was there, and another burst of her cannon quickly reminded him of that fact, before sending him down in flames.  
  
"Fire missiles at..." the group leader ordered just before he was blotted from the sky by the Gau's AA guns. Two more FlyManthas tried to fire at the Gau, but one more went down while the second was damaged. Then a third FlyMantha rushed past the heavy anti-air fire and fired all four missiles. All four hit, destroying both left engines and causing the Gau to steadily lose altitude. He did not live to see it however, as his FlyMantha was blown from the sky by rockets fired from a surviving Dopp.  
  
Maurice saw the Gau start losing stability, and thought it was her chance. She carefully weaved her way through the dense anti-air fire to get a shot at the Gau. A Dopp was on her, but an angry FlyMantha pilot shot that one down with a pair of missiles, before falling prey to serious, though not fatal damage from the Gau. But it was going to be the Gau's last hit. Maurice waited as a warbling tone from all four missiles indicated a lock on. She fired all four heat-seeking missiles, and the Gau desperately tried to evade. Some flares were fired, an ancient defensive and still effective tactic, but the missiles were not fooled. All four hit, destroying the last two engines. And the Gau quickly lost all power.  
-----------------------------------  
"Sir, backup generators are all down, we are being pelted by missiles all over... sir what are we..." the aide was interrupted by a missile hit.  
  
"I am taking the helm," General Erwin von Bock replied, "All of you, leave the Gau now. You have all done your duty, I'll try to keep it in the air as long as I can. Good luck." There was no emotion other than the sincerest concern for his men in his voice.  
  
"Sir, with you permission, I would like to..." the aide started.  
  
"John, you are only 20. You have a life to live, now go," the General advised his loyal aide.  
  
"Yes sir..." John replied quietly, his eyes nearly filled with tears. He looked around. The bridge crew was still there. They nodded. "But sir, one last thing," he and the rest of the crew snapped into a salute, "Sieg Zeon!"  
  
The General smiled, then shook his head, "No, for all those fine young boys, even theirs," he replied as he returned their salute, "Now go!"  
  
John nodded. There wasn't really much of a chance he'd live, but as long as there was a chance...  
--------------------------------------  
"Hold fire," Maurice called over the radio. The last Dopp had just been shot down, and the crew was now bailing from the burning Gau. The pilot had to be good, she reflected, being able to keep that thing in the air with no power. But the Gau was now tipping over, and she knew that whoever was piloting that thing now had no chance...  
------------------------------------  
General Erwin von Bock died a hero's death. Nearly all the crewmen on the Gau had managed to get off just before the Gau started to tip over. As it did, those who got off watched quietly from their parachutes, as the huge carrier began to spin rapidly towards the ground. To the last the he had tried to keep control, and his efforts were not completely in vain as his actions allowed two more men to get off before he lost all control. Having done all he could, the General watched as the ground rapidly approached wondering if he would see them all on the other side...  
--------------------------------------  
John saw that all. And he knew why all these men were still alive and not in the burning Gau below. The General had even managed to get the Gau far enough from the parachutes to keep them from landing in the flames. He wiped the tears off his eyes. Around him, most of the troops were doing the same.  
--------------------------------------  
The relief column arrived twenty minutes after the Zeon retreat. Two tank companies and a GM piloted by one very quiet blue-haired pilot*. A little late, but she was used to that. Better than never, Sylvie thought. Around her, the wreckage of 43 Type 61s and three GMs littered the landscape around her. Despite all that she'd been through, she still couldn't stomach this fighting. She looked at Max, his Sniper's cockpit now open to allow him to look around. He was still calm, and she just couldn't understand how he could be so cool. She looked back towards the field. The damaged Big Tray was now advancing to take the last of the Zeon forces.  
-----------------------------------------   
"Sir, we are surrounded," a Gouf C-3 Type pilot reported to John. They had managed to link up with the Gau survivors, only to find themselves surrounded by Federation forces on all side, "Sir, we have been ordered to..."  
  
"Fight to the last, I know. To hell with it! Destroy all your surviving gear now, we are surrendering! This is what the General would have wanted."  
  
His last statement finally convinced those who still had fight in them that the game was up. There was no use in dying now.  
------------------------------------------  
"Sir, transmission from the enemy 3rd Brigade, they wish to surrender," Patterson's aide reported.  
  
"Give them some time," he replied quietly, "And make sure they are treated well. I would like to meet one of them when the time comes."  
  
"Sir, it could be..."  
  
"No, it isn't. And do as I say, because if we had lost, they would treat us no different."  
  
"How are you so sure sir?"  
  
He then looked to his aide and replied, "Because of the man who leads them."  
---------------------------------------------  
*Cameo! Yu Kajima fought in Odessa.  
FlyMantha stats are those in G-gen games and Blood of Zeon. Heat seekers are also the logical guidance system along with wire-guideds.  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	7. Chapter 7: Light in the Darkness of Spac...

Chapter 7: Light in the Darkness of Space  
  
Sylvie tried to fan herself as she listened to the frenzied reports being sent all around her. It was a vain effort. Her Type 74 was now crowded by two dozen survivors of the 71st who had been trying to get news about the battle, and she was really at the point of throwing them ALL out after enduring three straight days of this heat. Well, she thought, at least they had been taken off the front line since the first day, and they didn't have to fight in any further battles until the operation was over.   
  
"Sylvie, come on, what have you got?" Captain Karl asked.  
  
She held her hand up to tell him to be quiet as she adjusted various knobs in her radio. Her efforts were rewarded as the she got a clear transmission from the HQ. She grinned, "Alright! I have a final report! Final Zeon strongpoint in Baikonour has fallen! Confirming retreat of remaining Zeon forces! Operation Odessa is a success!" A chorus of cheers soon filled her Type 74 as the troopers began to congratulate each other on a job well done. It had been a bloody battle. More than half of the battalion was gone, but they knew that their stand on the hill had made this victory possible. And for many of them, it was a first. As she looked around though, she saw Max, leaning quietly on a wall. He still wasn't smiling...   
-------------------------  
"Welcome Colonel," Revil started as a forty-two year old officer stepped into his office.  
  
"Yes sir, thank you sir, and congratulations," Col. Patterson replied quietly.  
  
"Enough with congratulations, I think I've had enough of them. Anyway, I've read your report...It must have been hard for you, given your relation with..."  
  
"Sir, with all due respect, it was my duty to take that hill, my personal feelings are not to be considered."  
  
Revil nodded. Patterson was one of his best Colonels, he knew. And completely loyal to the EF as he had just proven. The only problem that kept him from being a General was his family background. Seventeen years ago, he had married the kind and beautiful Patricia von Bock. Unfortunately, she was also the sister of a Zeon officer, then Major Erwin von Bock. It took a lot of self-control not to sigh. Their marriage had been a true love match, and despite ideological differences the two men had managed to become good friends. Now both brother and sister were dead, Patricia having died ten years ago to illness. And the Colonel's only daughter was missing somewhere in South East Asia after his home had been overrun by Zeon forces. It was such a waste, but the Colonel's courage and dedication despite all that has happened has made him admire the man all the more, "Very well. Now Colonel, on to business. You are to be reassigned to a new command."  
  
"Sir?" Sean was surprised. Most other commanders would have been relieved after such a disaster. Revil quickly read the look on his face.  
  
"Colonel, had it been any other officer on that hill, chances are they would have run, and we wouldn't be able to have this conversation. Anyway, your new assignment is on the new Magellan class battleship Raymond Spruance*. She's one of the newest and best ships we've got, and I want you to command her."  
  
"Begging your pardon sir but..."  
  
"I know, it has been some months since your last command in space, but I do know that you commanded the cruiser Johnston** throughout the One Week War, and your exploits were quite impressive," Revil replied as he flipped through the Colonel's file, "One of the few ships that made it out of Side 2, fought at Operation British and the Ruum... The list goes on Colonel."  
  
"Very well then sir, I'll get on it immediately," the Colonel replied, his voice brook no argument.  
  
"Good Colonel. Major Martel will brief you. Now dismissed!"  
------------------------  
"Hey guys, chow time! And I've got some real food for you!" Pat declared as loud as he could as he drove a supply truck into the 71st's camp. For the past few days they had all been munching on dried MREs. Not today though, the brass had made sure everybody would get a hot meal today to congratulate everyone on a job well done. And they were among the first to get some. Not exactly a party but...  
  
"Private Summers, did you get my special request?" an accented voice asked him as he pulled to a stop. It was Captain Karl.   
  
"Yes sir, here it is sir!" Pat replied as he handed him a bottle of vodka. It took a while to get it but heck, Captain Karl was a great artillery commander... More than he could say about Captain Lars.  
  
"Thank you. Alright men! Line up now. Hot chow for everybody!"  
----------------------------  
"You know Juan, you really should learn to enjoy hot food when you get it, it's not everyday we get it," Fred advised as he vigorously attacked his own plate. Unlike Fred, Juan was a rookie, and the battle three days ago was his first.  
  
"Sorry Sarge... but..."  
  
"I know kid, Martha. But as I've told you 11 times or so, you couldn't have done more, get over it. Besides, you did a good job for a rookie."  
  
"Getting your wing-woman..."  
  
"Keeping alive is good enough. And you did save me and the Captain's ***. Now eat the food, we might not get some for quite some time."  
  
Juan nodded somberly. Hell, he thought, Sarge was right, probably. He picked up his spoon and fork and started to eat his own meal. His hands shook as he ate.  
-----------------------------  
"Alright guys, I promised that we'll have a drink when we won, and now is the time," Karl said as he opened the bottle of vodka. He was standing in the old field near the Baikonour space port where the Zeon forces first landed. It had been months, but he could still smell the smoke. He quickly took a slug, before pouring the rest of the contents at the exact spot were his tank had brewed up in his first combat action of the war. Their graves would have been better, but Zeon didn't exactly mark were they had buried the dead. "That was for you Igor and Marko, rest in peace." He then snapped to a salute, then turned to leave.  
-------------------------------  
Sylvie had just finished her meal when she saw a series of trucks move by. They were carrying pieces of wreckage. Most were parts of Zakus but she noticed that one had a different load. It seemed to be part of a missile of some...  
  
"That's the nuke they took down Sylvie," Max explained, "Please don't be mesmerized by a nuke like that again, okay Sylvie?"  
  
Sylvie nodded, but her thoughts were already far into the past...  
--------------------------------  
January 3, 0079  
Colony Cluster Side 2, EFSFS Amerigo  
  
"Communications officer LT. SYLVIE GRESSIER! WAKE UP! NOW!!!" a booming voice ordered that quickly sent Sylvie crashing back from unconsciousness. She wished that she was just dreaming, that it was all just a nightmare... She looked at her hands, it was still covered with blood.  
  
It was all real.   
  
She quickly looked around. She was now in the secondary bridge below the main one, and a backup crew was frantically trying to cope with the situation. She looked outside. The space around the Amerigo was filling with wreckage. Behind the Amerigo, she could make out two Magellans and four Salamis from a distance, firing off to enemy ships too far away for her to identify. The bridge of one of the Salamis suddenly exploded from a shot fired by an unknown assailant, and the huge ship quickly lost control and smashed itself into a colony. The cruiser then exploded, creating as huge hole in the colony and she could see tiny objects... People. People being sucked out into space...  
  
"Dammit! Gressier, contact fleet command. Tell them were the hell is the rest of the fleet.. they should have launched from the colonies by now..."  
  
Sylvie nodded despite the fear and half a dozen other emotions that she had no time to discern now clouding her mind, "Fleet command.. where are the other ships... we are down to... three Magellans and thr...'  
  
"There are still five Salamis! The Johnston and Eindhoven are trying to outflank the main Zeon forces! Damn it! They have three Tibes and seven Musais! We need help now!" Colonel Alexander said as he tried to keep his ship intact. Around them, four enemy MS were firing at the Amerigo causing massive damage, and the Federation Sabrefish escorting them were vainly trying to shoot them down. It was clearly an impossible job for the fighters, Mobile Suits were just too maneuverable for them.  
  
"Fleet command here... we have enemy humanoid type units..." the transmission abruptly ended and was replaced by static. Sylvie looked right in front of her. The main fleet was stationed in colonies some distance in front of the Amerigo. She could see the lights from those colonies, and she narrowed her eyes... trying to make out...  
  
Several bright balls of white suddenly appeared that engulfed those colonies' dim lights. Sylvie had never seen such bright explosions before...  
  
"Oh my God... WARNING! Alert level one, alert level one! HIGH ORDER DETONATION!!! Zeon use of Nuclear weapons!!! Broadcast to ALL Federation commands now! Torpedo room! Ready our own nukes!" the Colonel ordered as he realized what those lights meant... and he also knew that they were now all on their own.  
  
Sylvie looked on as the bright fireball subsided. To her horror, the lights of the faraway colonies, containing millions of people... were all gone... she quickly sent the Captain's message even as her hand now shook uncontrollably from the fear...  
  
"Sir! Enemy Tibes are firing missiles at the main squadron!" a lookout reported.  
  
"Comms, warn them now... warn them before..."  
  
A blinding flash suddenly filled the space behind the Amerigo. The entire crew looked back towards the direction of the fleet. It was gone. Every ship had been vaporized save one Magellan. And that ship was now ablaze from bow to stern, its armor scorched black from the heat. Nobody could have survived. Around it, the shattered remnants of five colonies caught in the blast announced the addition of millions more into an already monstrous death toll. And it was still not over.  
  
"Sir, Echo 4 here! We can't keep those humanoid machines away for much longer... I'm down to two fighters... Oh s..."   
  
A series of small explosions around the ship announced the death of the last of the fighters. And once again, the Amerigo was alone.  
  
"Helm, get us out of here now! Comms, can you get anybody!? Militia, reserves, anything! We need help now!" the Colonel ordered nervously as the gun turrets of the ship desperately tried to hold the enemy MS at bay as the ship slowly limped away from the death factory that Side 2 had become.   
  
Sylvie began to send out a mayday. She then began to pray silently... it was just about it. Three Zakus began to charge their way towards the Amerigo. A point blank beam shot took out one of them, while a second was downed by AA gun fire, but the third made it through. And it was now almost right in front of the bridge... aiming a huge bazooka straight at her...  
  
A missile suddenly struck the Zaku from behind, exploding the suit. Sylvie had been so afraid that she hadn't noticed she wasn't breathing. She quickly regained her composure and looked around. She then saw a lone Sabrefish, blue painted and the insignia of the 27th Squadron printed on it left wing. It was a Side 2 based formation... home based in Side 2's 8th Colony...  
  
"This is Lieutenant Max Harper. I am ready to provide assistance."  
  
Max? She thought... he couldn't be... she looked at the 8th Colony. It was Max's home colony. It was still intact... but there were several MS heading for it..."Max! Get back to your home colony now! Those Zeon bastards are trying to..."  
  
"Harper, there are eight enemy units in that area, but if you feel necessary to go back there, then you have permission to do so," the Colonel interjected coolly.  
  
Sylvie was a little surprised at Colonel Dolvich, he rarely showed his humanity... but she was more worried about Max's home colony. The MS seemed to be carrying canisters... and she had illicitly read a report on how Zeon had poison gas...  
  
"I'll stay with you sir... I... I'm the only one left in my squad anyway..."  
  
"Max... dammit it don't..." Sylvie started.  
  
"Thank you son," the Colonel replied in a quiet, regretful tone.  
  
Sylvie looked back to the colony. The MS WERE carrying poison gas... and Max's entire family...  
  
"It's not over yet people!" Dolvich declared, "Any further enemy units?"  
  
"Sir, this is radar, I think we may have gone by unnoticed, no forces are pursuing us... but ... OH ****! Musai right in front of us!"  
  
Sylvie looked straight ahead and saw a Musai right in front of them, its guns locked and ready... She closed her eyes. It was over... they only had one forward turret still in service... and it wouldn't be enough... and it was too close for a nuke...  
  
"Sir! Friendly laser fire! Musai has taken a hit! Two hits! Musai is exploding!" a lookout jubilantly reported. And a final, blinding flash filled the bridge.  
  
"This is the Major Sean Patterson of the Johnston. Are you alright Amerigo?"  
  
"Thank you Johnston!" the Colonel replied, "How are you?"  
  
"Eindhoven has been badly damaged. But we have made a clear path for the fleet to retreat to..."  
  
"We are the fleet," Sylvie replied grimly for the skipper.  
  
"Understood, then let's get the hell out of here before they notice."  
  
Sylvie looked out into space as the ship began to move. Pieces of wreckage began to pass by the window. Most were pieces of metal, but one caught her attention. It was a teddy bear, a red scarf carefully tied around its neck. Perhaps by the child who owned it. But that child would never be able to hold it, or anything at all for that matter, ever again...  
--------------------------------  
Sylvie looked out quietly into the sky above. It was now orange from the sunset. That day... it was the start of it all. Though she hadn't known it at the time, it would be the start of the first, and greatest, war of the UC era. In less than a month, half of humanity, five BILLION people, would die. Casualties unheard of in all of history. Her hand still shook and tears formed in her eyes when she remembered it. All those people... for what?   
  
"Sylvie, message," Earl reported as he passed her a form. She quickly blinked her tears away and scanned through the report... it was a transfer order.  
----------------------------------  
*Raymond Spruance is one of the best Admirals in US history. He was the one who won the battle of Midway and Philippine Sea.  
  
** Johnston is the namesake of a WWII destroyer. She was captained by Commander Evans. In Oct 25, 1944, 90 years to the day of the Charge of the Light Brigade, she and 5 other destroyers of a light task force gallantly charged a massive Japanese fleet composed of 2 battleships, and nearly a dozen cruisers and destroyers in order to save the MacArthur's invasion fleet at the Battle of Leyte Gulf despite being hopelessly outgunned.   
  
In one of the most courageous actions of the war, the six ships would fight so fiercely that the Japanese fleet believed that they faced the main US fleet composed of heavy cruisers and withdrew. The Johnston and two other ships did not survive the battle. However, both sides would honor their courage. Commander Evans would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and as the Johnston went down, "there, on the bridge wing of a Japanese destroyer, stood a lone Japanese officer. As Johnston, mortal enemy only moments before, slipped beneath the waves, this Japanese officer lifted his hand to the visor of his cap and stood motionless for a moment, saluting..."  
  
Roughly paraphrased, from Tom Cutter's Battle of Leyte Gulf.  
------------------------------------  
Oh when can their glory fade?  
Oh the wild charge they made!  
Honor the Light Brigade!  
Noble six hundred!  
  
Closing lines, Alfred Tennyson~Charge of the Light Brigade~ 


	8. Chapter 8: Hunter, Hunted

The Anonymous One- Well thanks ^_^. And as for Max... he has more secrets than he lets on, including a rather big one that'll crop up later ^_^. And The USS Johnston is a destroyer, and so is not very well known, but after I read through its history I knew it should't be the case. Spruance, on the other hand, is just the Admiral who won Midway, Philippine Sea and Okinawa, but he's also the quiet type so he's not that famous either ^_^.  
  
Newtype Alpha- Thanks ^_^. And really, Zakus did use nukes in the first part of the OYW.  
  
Oh, and I'll not be posting up chapters again till April 1 though(school project season), so you might want to check out the Newtype Asylum(whose url I've posted regularly) for the rest of the piece. It's in the Gundamania section, and also has some nice reditions of Sylvie, Max and co. ^_^.  
  
Chapter 8: Hunter, Hunted  
  
Nov 12, UC 0079   
Somewhere in the South China Sea  
  
A lone Federation Type 65 destroyer steamed quietly into a secluded Vietnamese cove. The Type 65 wasn't a particularly powerful unit, being similar in configuration and mission as the 20th Century's Kidd class general purpose destroyers. This Type 65 however, was special. To Zeon, she was known as the Kraken Killer. To the Federation admirals, she was the Skate. To the rest of the admiring Federation Navy however, she took the nickname of her WWII namesake, The Big Game Hunter of the Pacific. One of the few Pacific Fleet units to survive after the initial Zeon attack at Hawaii, she had not only managed to survive, but also thrive in a war that has rendered surface ships all but obsolete. Her bridge was already decorated by four red submarine silhouettes painted in recognition of the four enemy Yukon class submarines she had sunk since the start of the war. Now though, was the time for her final cruise.  
  
"There's the Skate sir," a lookout reported from the top of the Himalaya class carrier Sierra Madre.  
  
"That is quite reassuring," Major General Marc McCampbell replied. It was nice that they would get the Big Game Hunter to escort them in what would be the Pacific Fleet's final deployment. Sheltered in the cove was the last major concentration of surface ships left in the Pacific Fleet. For the past several months he had seen the fleet get decimated by Zeon submarine and air forces, and now the introduction of effective amphibious mobile suits have made them all the more vulnerable. In fact last week enemy underwater MS had sunk one of his cruisers and sent another cruiser and a battleship back to the yards, and high command was now seriously considering keeping his ships in port. Thanks to the victory at Odessa however, they would have one final opportunity to score a decisive victory against the Zeon forces before that happened. The Pacific fleet would not just go quietly into the night...  
---------------------  
"There they are sir," Technical Sergeant John Paul Recto observed as the Skate entered the cove.   
  
"Yes John," Major Alfonso Jose replied, "So, Magic, are you ready? We might find ourselves going one of those sea-monster type subs you know."  
  
John nodded as his face broke to a wide grin. "Magic" was his unofficial nickname. He got that nick for being able to "magically" detect well-hidden Zeon submarines as the Skate's lead sonar and radar operator. He was a major reason why the Skate was the hunter instead of the hunted. He was the "eyes" of the ship, and those eyes were very sharp. Whether his skills came from his formidable Filipino naval ancestry(every generation had at least one sailor in the family) or his lucky charms though, he really didn't know, but it seemed that it just came naturally to him. And he'd get himself some more Zeek subs before they kept him locked up in port.   
  
John began to scan the cove once again. They were all here. The carrier Sierra Madre, the cruiser Veneto and the destroyer Wahoo. Behind them three LST, landing ship tanks (or LARGE SLOW TARGETS) were being loaded with improved Type 61 tanks and three GMs of the 89th company. It was taking a while since their crews hadn't arrived yet and they were relying on backup drivers to load them up. He wondered what was taking so long... after all it was faster to travel by air...  
------------------------  
The pilot of Midea 508 was now a little edgy. It had already been bad enough that he'd been delayed two hours by bad weather at Jaburo, but now he faced a far more serious threat. Eight miles to his north a fierce air battle was raging between a group of Zeon Dopps and a few Federation TINs. The Zeon force was a raider unit that had been launched from California to harass Federation supply lines. It was usually just a minor annoyance, but the battle was a little close, and he was carrying important cargo. The 40 men of the 89th company and a trio of underwater type GMs. The orders said that this was top priority stuff, and needed to get through at all cost...  
  
"Sir, I think we've managed to clear the air battle..." his radar techie reported.   
  
The pilot had just nodded when an explosion suddenly rocked his Midea. "What the hell was that!?" he shouted as he looked at his controls.. Two engines were dead, and he was rapidly losing altitude...   
  
"AHH!!! Where the hell did they come from!? Oh ****! Two Dopps!" the radar techie reported.  
  
"Bail, NOW!" the pilot screamed as he pulled up on the stick to try to gain altitude. He never made it. More explosions rocked his plane, and the Midea rapidly disintegrated around him...  
-------------------------  
"Sir! Midea 508 has been shot down!" a radio technician based in Jaburo reported.  
  
"Dammit! What the hell were those TINS doing!?" now Major General Alexander Dolvich asked in an angry tone.  
  
"Sir, a couple of Dopps from Hawaii jumped them. TINs are reporting no survivors."  
  
Alexander looked at his screen angrily. He needed those men and equipment, desperately. Last week they had finally located a Zeon submarine base in the southern Philippines island of Palawan that had been harassing their troops in Vietnam. Now it was important to destroy it before Zeon was able to use it as a resupply point for its retreating forces from Odessa. He had scrapped up just enough units to take it, but only just. Now he had a deficit to fill. He scanned all available units in the area. He might be able to borrow a few RX-79s from the nearby Kojima Battalion to offset the loss of the three Aqua GMs. Not exactly underwater MS but... Unfortunately he still needed men to crew the tanks and MS. His eyes wandered off to a trio of Mideas now flying over Madras...  
----------------------------  
"Sir, would you please tell me what our new assignment is about?" Captain Lars asked as he entered the Colonel's compartment in the front of the Midea. Also in the room was Major Martel.  
  
"Classified information, Captain..." Major Martel warned.  
  
"Don't worry Major, I think he deserves to know," the Colonel cautioned. Martel looked incredulous for a moment, then nodded and looked away. It was a sign that he was officially not hearing anything.  
  
"We are going back to space, Captain. Our launch off point is Jaburo."  
  
"Yes sir, thank you sir," Lars replied with a smile. That was what he always wanted.  
  
"And Lars, keep your cool alright?" the Colonel warned.  
  
Lars just nodded before snapping to a salute and turning to leave. He grinned, he could finally show the brass how good he was...  
-------------------------------  
"The Kamchatka eh?" John Paul remarked as he read the intel report. The enemy sub guarding the base was the Yukon class sub Kamchatka. And she was very bad news. She hunted destroyers for a living, and six dead tin cans had demonstrated that she was good at it.   
  
"Yes, at least the sea monster subs are all in Hawaii," Alfonso replied. Ordinarily, only officers had a briefing like this, but John was his eyes and often his aim. Despite the rank, Alfonso had often found himself working for HIM. Besides, two other cruisers and a Himalaya had already run afoul of the Kamchatka, and it was better he knew.  
  
John nodded before speaking again, "Sir, what about the replacements for the Aquas we lost?"  
  
"The General is working on it."  
--------------------------  
Sylvie was trying to sleep. It was a already a difficult thing to do in a bumpy and cramped Midea, but with all the conversations going around her, it was impossible. The 44th was a relatively new outfit, and its members had not really gotten to know each other yet. She wanted to be part of the conversation too, but she had stood watch on the radio for the past three days, and her body was screaming for sleep. Pat though, had plenty of sleep.  
  
"So, Juan, where are you from?" Pat asked.  
  
"Side 6, Riah. I sort of wanted to join the war after all that the Zeeks had done for the other colonies, guess I should have stayed at home."  
  
"Oh?" Earl interjected, "Sylvie is from Side 6 too, from Libot I think. Joined the military despite the objections of her father..."  
  
"EARL!" Sylvie shouted angrily, she had heard that. And she didn't want others to tell her life story for her.  
  
"Come on Sylvie, you told us..." Pat replied.  
  
"I told you guys, but I didn't want you to spread that..."  
  
"Ohhh..." Pat said with an evil grin on his face, "You see Juan, she's really a headstrong girl so don't ask her out. She says only her older sister understands her and she's the old mai..." Pat's story was suddenly interrupted by a tin cup thrown right on his forehead.  
  
"PAT! You are dead you hear me?!" Sylvie said angrily, her shoulders still reeling from the force of the throw.  
  
"Sylvie, calm down..," Earl cautioned as he tried to keep himself from laughing at Pat's now horribly pained face, "We're going to be working for the 44th now, remember? We have to know each other a little better. But then again the way Pat told it, well...."  
  
"Could you keep it down?!" Captain Karl moaned. Ordinarily, he would have tolerated it, but he was in a bad mood. He was being transferred from the 71st away from his men, and that was bad enough. What made it worse was the fact that the letter from his wife still had not come in the mail call yesterday. She really must have left him, he thought. Well, at least his troopers and the rest of the 71st was now being transferred to Jaburo. Probably for training duty. About time.  
  
"Sorry sir," replied Sargent Fred, "Alright, keep it down guys, especially you Pat."  
  
"Sorry Sarge. And, hey Sarge, what about you? Where'd you come from?"  
  
"Oh, me? Lhasa in Tibet. A scholar of the old texts and a reserve tanker."  
  
"You sir, a scholar?" Juan asked, it was almost hard to believe.  
  
"Uh-huh. You shouldn't be surprised. The Captain was a military historian before the war in fact. Until the Zeeks nuked his home at Side 5 that is..."  
  
"Fred..." Sylvie warned quietly and pointed at Max. He had been quiet all the time, looking out of a window.  
  
"Oh, sorry mam. I think we'd all better get some rest, no?"  
  
They had all just nodded when the Captain suddenly burst into the room. "Alright troops! Get ready for an emergency assignment. We are to report to Pacific Fleet command for a special operation they are about to launch. Briefing in 25 minutes. Get ready!" He then turned and left.  
  
"So much for my sleep..." Sylvie muttered.  
-------------------------  
"Conn sonar, I think I may have an enemy submarine contact," reported Zeon Sonarman 1st class Dirk Pearson.  
  
"Give me range and type," Kamchatka CO Colonel Mathew Conrad replied coolly.  
  
"U class, range is over 9000 yards. Too far for a good firing solution, she's heading north, what should we do sir?"  
  
The Colonel considered his situation. He had been patrolling the southern Philippine Sea in anticipation of a Federation attack on his base. The problem was, intel had no idea were the enemy fleet was, and this could be a decoy, or the real attack. He checked the enemy ships's course, then quickly made his decision. "XO, let's trail her..."  
  
The XO nodded and issued a series of commands. Hopefully, the enemy sub had not detected them yet...  
--------------------------  
On the Federation submarine U 35, a junior Federation sonarman thought he heard something. He considered reporting it to the skipper Col. Ken Mason. He decided against it. The rest of the sonar crew had not detected anything, and surely they were more experienced than he...  
--------------------------  
General Alexander watched the digitized display as several icons slowly marched to their destinations. It was a scratch team, but far better than nothing. To replace the experimental GMs he had borrowed three RX-79s and had them rapidly sealed to allow for limited underwater combat. Not much, but good enough. They would have the support of two subs pulled from their patrol missions, the U 47 and U 35. But the real problem was the crews. Fortunately, he had found the remnants 71st battalion to crew the tanks and the 44th company for the MS. It was quite interesting since the ground commander would now be Col. Sean Patterson, and he was planning to have him as a subordinate very soon...  
---------------------  
The consistency stuff:  
Kidd is a anti-sub and anti-air destroyer. A four ship class in the US Navy that were initially meant for Iran. Very good general purpose units though it is rather weak in anti-surface armament.  
  
The Type 65 is a fictional unit created by me. This represents a generic destroyer that served in the OYW. It's unofficially a close copy of a Kidd and first built in UC 0065. (keyword:unofficial!)  
  
Skate and Wahoo were both famous WWII US subs. Skate was the "Big Game Hunter" for damaging a carrier and a battleship in a single patrol. Wahoo was an ace sub commanded by "Mush" Morton, a legend in the submarine service. The Wahoo was lost during the war, while the Skate survived and used as a target for the H-Bomb test in Bikini atoll.  
  
The Aqua GMs used are sort of a first-deployment type and not really the true Aqua GMs used by the Feds late in the war.(like the first-production type Ground Type Gundams)  
  
The Zeon base in Palawan is a small secret refuelling/rearming facility built after Zeon took Hawaii to support units in Australia and Peking. Not in the books, just in my fic.  
  
Though Side 6 was officially neutral, a few Side 6 natives joined the Federation troops during the war. Most famous to readers maybe Christina Mackenzie of 0080.  
  
The improved Type 61 is the 08th MS team version with extra armor and machine guns.  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
---------------------  
"There are no warriors in Zeon!"  
-Revil  
  
"To submarines, there are two types of ships. Submarines, and Targets..." 


	9. Chapter 9: Pre-positioning

Chapter 9: Pre-Positioning  
  
"So what is the mission sir?" Captain Dave Anderson asked wearily as the briefing began.  
  
"Very well, I know you are all tired, but this is a mission of utmost importance," Col. Sean Patterson replied, "As you all know, for the past several months Zeon submarines have been actively disrupting Federation operations in the South China Sea. They have been sinking valuable ships and supplies bound for Australia, India and Vietnam. For a while we haven't been able to figure out why they have been so effective since we have been hitting their main Philippine Base at Subic Bay continuously since the start of the war. However, last week a FlatMouse spy plane flying over the Philippine island of Palawan took these photographs before disappearing," the Colonel then turned on a projector. It displayed a few blow up photographs. Although not immediately noticeable due to some well-done camouflage, it clearly showed a Zeon naval base, with enough pens for up to three submarines as well as a tiny airstrip for a few fighters and recce craft.  
  
"Damn... how long did they have that base there?" Sergeant Fred wondered quietly out loud. He shook his head. Dumb*** intel has done it again.  
  
"This base we have determined, despite its small size, is a very important facility for Zeon because it obviates the need for their South China Squadron to return to Hawaii or Subic for resupply, as well as providing reconnaissance for its subs. Worse, we have determined that a significant number of Zeon units that have retreated from Odessa may be heading for this base for reinforcement and resupply. Currently, as we have found from a few reliable guerilla ground assets in the Philippines resistance, the base is lightly defended by conventional ground forces. Essentially, the force is composed of two squads of three Zaku-type mobile suits each, eight Dopp-type fighters, three recon planes, and approximately eight tanks and other ground vehicles. Unfortunately, it is highly likely that there is at least one Zeon sub in the area. And it is highly possible that it maybe escorted by as many as four underwater-type MS. And these are the new ones."  
  
Sylvie winced at that. The new Zeon underwater machines were impressive. Most were equipped with beam weaponry that most units could only dream about, and a hit from a beam was enough to ruin ANYBODY's day...  
  
"Unfortunately for us though, this base has been built around very rough and rocky terrain. A parachute or air-lift operation is simply not an option. Those Zeon *******s may have considered that when they built this base. So it'll come down to an amphibious operation. We'll be escorted by what's left of the Pacific fleet."  
  
"Umm, begging you pardon sir," Dave asked nervously, "If a Zeek sub or MS manages to get near the fleet, I think we're toast. The PacFleet's record is not exactly encouraging..."  
  
"Captain, that is why we have these." Patterson then changed the image displayed by the projector. It was an image that would have struck fear into the hearts of even the most stalwart of Zeon's soldiers. It was a trio of RX-79(G)s, Gundams.  
----------------------------  
"Are you SURE these things have been sealed well enough?" John Paul asked for the seventh time. It was bad enough that the Skate would lose one of her two anti-sub Fanfans to fit this monstrosity into the ship, but it would be even worse if the damn thing sank like a rock...  
  
"Look SERGEANT," the chief engineer replied very testily, "This is a state of the art mobile suit. The best damn thing in the Federal arsenal. This is the replica of the suit that took out Garma Zabi, and you learn to respect it!"   
  
"Yes sir, but ground is VERY different from sea," John replied, "One leak, and poof! Your state of the art Gundam or whatever will be another decoration for the sea bed."  
  
"I've QUADRUPLE checked the damn thing! It'll dive up to 50 feet, can operate underwater for about 30 minutes and has underwater-capable weaponry. AND IT'LL BE A LOT MORE HELP THAN YOUR STUPID FANFAN!" the chief engineer shouted. He'd finally reached the end of his patience.  
  
"Fine sir, I just hope that you didn't forget to seal anything like the joints or the thing won't even be able to MOVE underwater at all." John then watched as the chief's face turned deep red in anger before stomping back to the mobile suit, screaming for a few engineers to help him with something. John chuckled, some people just never learn. And in a war, that often got you dead.  
----------------------------  
"That's good sir, and those Gundams seem to be impressive machines, but we're a tank battalion, not ground pounders. I really don't think landing with a bunch of Type 61s on a hot LZ is a good idea," Captain Karl suggested thoughtfully. Even though he was now in the artillery, Karl had already served in almost all the different arms of the army, and he was one quick learner.  
  
"That is correct Captain," the Col. replied coolly, "And we do not have a detachments of marines to support us. However, we have contingencies, and I'll now outline them in the plan," he pressed the switch on the projector and it displayed an overhead map of the area. "Once we arrive in the target area, our LSTs will begin to head for this beach," he said as he pointed at a narrow strip of sand, "Before we land however, the guerilla forces will destroy the main power plant here," pointing to a large, rectangular building, "Hopefully, to disable most of the defense grid, those that survived the naval and air bombardment, of course. Oh, and according to the guerillas they will use two captured Zakus for the attack, and they'll withdraw once the plant has been taken down, but watch your fire. I don't want us taking down a friendly. They say their MS are brown painted, while the enemy units are green, so it should not be much of a problem to distinguish the sheep from the goats."  
  
"Guerillas, wonderful..." Karl muttered. Like most officers, he distrusted guerilla units. Too unreliable. Well, he hadn't heard much about the Philippine resistance so MAYBE they aren't so bad...   
---------------------------  
Cynthia Patterson watched quietly as a pair of Zaku IIJs moved within a hundred meters of her Zaku. Painted in a low visibility brown color scheme devised by one of the guerilla's engineers, her unit was hard to spot, but not impossible. For a full minute, she held her breath as they slowly scanned the area. Then they turned and resumed their patrol, and Cynthia was able to breathe again.  
  
"Close one, eh Cynth?" Lt. Shoji Yamagata asked from the cockpit of his own Zaku. He was her commanding officer, and the leader of the southern western Philippine resistance. It was an extremely weird situation. Around her, a platoon of thirty men, native Filipinos all of them, were under Shoji's direct command. It was weird because the last time these people had fought a guerilla war, it was against the Japanese. And Shoji was a 100% Japanese Earth Federation officer that got stuck here when the Zeeks invaded. Fortunately, there was little friction within the resistance, partly because these troops were very loyal to the EF for naming them as one of the few "native" populations and letting them stay on Earth, but mostly because Shoji was a smart officer, even if he was just a Lieutenant.   
  
"Yeah, but I hope those morons at High Command would assault this place sooner. Man, we have been reporting this base for months and those intel guys seem to just toss our reports down the waste basket!" she snarled.  
  
"Just concentrate on the mission, and pray we don't see any Gaus or Fat Uncles bringing reinforcements for the base or..."  
  
"We are screwed, big time."  
------------------------------  
"Finally, when the landing comes, the GMs will go in first before being reinforced by the tanks. Hopefully, the GMs will be able to take most of the enemies out, and the tanks will only have to be around for clean up and garrison duty. Any further questions?" the Colonel concluded.  
  
"Sir, how long before the landing operation?" Dave asked.  
  
"Thirty six hours. Unless something breaks down."  
  
Dave then nodded wearily. He hated the ocean. Drowning was just a horrible way to die...  
  
"Any more questions?" There were none, "Good, we still have 2 hours before we get to the LSTs, get yourselves rested and organized. That goes for you Dave, we only have 15 tanks, you'd better reassign your excess crew members. Dismissed."  
  
Dave nodded. He then pulled out a roster and began making notes on it. Well, at least they'd be able to fully crew the Type 61s...  
--------------------------------  
"THERE! HAPPY!?" the chief asked at the grinning John.  
  
"Well, yes. Now if they could only get here a little earlier then I'd be overjoyed," John replied.  
  
"I see you two still get along well," Major Alfonso declared as he joined the two men," The plane's will be here in two hours. J.P. you talk to the pilots and help brief those guys when the time comes, alright?"  
  
"No problem sir! I'll get right on it!"  
  
"Sure..." the chief muttered angrily, "If they don't kill him first..."  
----------------------------------  
"Sir! Enemy submarine contact is changing course. It's now heading west sir. Is this some sort of Federal trickery sir?" Dirk asked his skipper.  
  
Colonel Mathew took a quick glance at the chart, his eye quickly wandered off to the Vietnamese coast. He smiled, "No, let's keep following her. XO, are you aware of any Zeon units in the area they are heading for?"  
  
"Sir, only one. The Crimea. She was damaged last week and she's limping home. She has a pair of Gogs for escorts. Want her to patrol a bit?"  
  
"Yes. Get the bouy ready, send them: "Possible transit of major enemy fleet elements in East Vietnam area. Vital to destroy ships if encountered. Request Crimea to patrol area.""  
  
"You really think they'll head that way sir?"  
  
"They have to know we are reinforcing the base by now. The attack must come from Vietnam. Hopefully, the Crimea will be able to stall them long enough so that the Iberia and her new load of underwater MS can reinforce us."  
  
"Aye aye sir." An instant later a bouy was ejected from the Kamchatka's sail. It reached the surface a minute later.  
---------------------------------------  
"Huh?"  
  
"What is it?" Skipper Ken Mason asked.  
  
The young sonar man looked around. Was he hallucinating all those sounds? The rest of the sonar crew didn't seem to...  
  
"Well?" Ken asked again.  
  
"Nothing sir."  
----------------------------------------  
Upon reaching the surface, the bouy sent a second long encrypted transmission to fleet command. There, it was quickly evaluated, then approved. The message was then quickly forwarded to the Crimea.   
---------------------------------------  
It was hot and humid when they landed. Not the favorite climate of those who were from the colonies, but Sylvie was used to it. And she was a bit excited. She'd never seen a ship that plied over the oceans before, and they looked majestic even in their dull gray color scheme.   
  
"Welcome to the Pacific Fleet," a voice greeted them. Sylvie turned and saw a dark skinned Major and a short, brown, smiling Sergeant, "Hello, I am Major Alfonso. You are the 44th Tactical Mobile Suit Company, correct?"  
  
"Yes sir, umm... he's the commanding officer," Sylvie replied pointing to Captain Lars who was now surrounded by the rest of the 44th's crew.  
  
"Guess so," Sergeant John Paul said as he quickly eyed the petite, young, brown haired radio officer.  
  
"Yes SERGEANT, and please remember to call me mam," Sylvie replied.  
  
"Yes mam," he replied with a grin.  
  
"Alright Major, I would like to have my men briefed now," Captain Lars interjected as he joined the group along with the rest of the crew.  
  
Alfonso nodded, "Okay, this is Technical Sergeant J.P. Recto. Just call him by his callsign Magic or JP if you forget his surname. He'll run you through the operational guidelines aboard the ships. I will now meet Col. Patterson so Recto, take over."  
  
"Aye aye sir," John nodded, "Alright! Now I'm going to explain a few rules to all of you..." He looked around first as was his habit with newcomers. There were four pilots, including the Captain, and three crew for the Type 74. Seven in all, seems few for a company. "First and foremost, all of you SHALL follow the orders of the ship crew, regardless of rank. I know all of you are landlubbers and I don't want you doing anything stupid to the operation of the ship, even if you outrank them sirs and mam," he said, looking right at Sylvie, "Second, THINK QUIET! Being noisy might get us detected and dead, very quickly. Finally, keep a lookout on the sea. You see any ripple, you see ANYTHING that you can't identify, report it quickly. It just might be a periscope you saw. Now, for your assignments..." John looked at a file he was carrying, "Pat Summers, Earl Williams, Max Harper and Sylvie Gressier will be on the LST Galahad. Fred Chan, Juan Ignacio and Captain Breivik will be on the Wahoo, Skate and Veneto respectively to pilot the Gundams. Any questions?"   
  
"Very well Sergeant, I think we can handle things now..." Lars replied in a deep, annoyed tone.  
  
"Thank you sir, I'll be leavi'n now..." John replied as he turned to leave.  
  
"Upstart..." Lars said just as John pulled out of earshot, "Alright, you know your ships, get to them!"   
  
"For once," Sylvie commented, "I agree with the Captain. That Sergeant talks pretty big for his rank..."  
  
"Actually Sylvie, I think he's earned it," Earl replied.  
  
"WHAT?!" Sylvie asked angrily. She wasn't touchy about rank but that guy was...  
  
"Ever hear of the Skate? The Big Game Hunter of the Pacific?" Earl asked.  
  
"Well... yes..." Sylvie said as she tried to remember the details... a famous sub-hunter of some...  
  
"He's the lead sonar man aboard the Skate Sylvie," Max explained quietly, "He's definitely an expert on sub-hunting. Callsign suits him, Magic indeed... Be glad, we'll probably make it in one piece to Palawan."  
  
Sylvie looked incredulously at Max. That scrawny little idiot was the one who was killing all those Zeek subs? No way...  
  
"Believe it Sylvie, believe it," Earl interjected with a wide grin.   
-------------------------  
"You know John, I really should be a lot stricter with you..." Major Alfonso warned.  
  
"Sorry sir, but it's better so they'll listen to the crew more. Remember the time we escorted the Austin and..."  
  
"Yeah, that dumb*** landlubber Lieutenant kept shouting at his men so that a Zeek sub overheard us. Good thing you blew that sub away."  
  
"AFTER it sank the Austin. A damn waste sir, an awful lot of good kids on that ship."  
  
"Yeah, and you'd better make sure we don't let that happen again."  
  
"I'll do my best sir."  
-------------------------  
"Hey wait a minute," Sylvie said as she boarded the Galahad, "There are THREE GMs here. Who's going to the other two?"  
  
"I am, and I'll be commanding you."   
  
Sylvie looked behind her and saw Captain Karl. "You sir? I didn't know..."  
  
"I piloted a captured Zaku for around three weeks before they were finally able to ship it back to Jaburo for inspection. I didn't do badly, I managed to rack up five kills in fact," the Captain explained.  
  
"Oh..." Sylvie had often wondered how the Captain had risen so quickly up the ranks since she had rescued him at Baikonour that dark March day. Obviously, that was one of the reasons.  
  
"What about the third GM?" Max asked quietly.  
  
"Hello Max! Miss me?" a female voice suddenly asked that surprised Sylvie. She turned to meet a beautiful woman with shoulder-length black braided hair. Beautiful enough to touch off a slight bit of envy in Sylvie.  
  
"Oh, hello Maurice," Max replied with what almost approached a smile. Maurice Evans was a childhood friend of his, and the only one who was still alive.  
  
"Nice to meet you all again. I was hoping that I could finally get a chance at MS piloting, I've been working on it for a few weeks," Maurice said with a smile. Like Max, she was practically an orphan now, and meeting an old friend was a rarity for her.  
  
"Yeah Maurice, I was wondering when you'd finally get your shot. Those high command idiots have kept you in the fighter force long enough," Sylvie said thoughtfully.  
  
"Good to see all of my crew members know each other well. Get to your cabins now and rest. I'll brief you in a few hours," the Captain finished for them. Sylvie nodded as she yawned. Well, at least she'd get more sleep. As long as Pat kept his big mouth shut that is.  
-------------------------------  
"Alright, we are off!" John Paul declared as the Skate passed out of the cove. Behind her, a long cable was already being streamed from her stern. It was a towed-array sonar, basically a giant microphone, used to listen for enemy submarines. It was a lot better than hull-mounted sonars since it wasn't interfered by its own ship's sounds. John put a pair of headphones on and started to listen for enemy submarines that might be lurking nearby. The first leg of their journey would take them to a fairly dangerous area, known to veteran Federation sailors as the Tin Can Graveyard.   
-------------------------------  
Beneath the waves a hundred nautical miles away, the Zeon submarine Crimea was patrolling the waters east of Vietnam. A hunting ground of Zeon submarines, its sea bottom was littered with the wrecks of dozens of Federation ships. Another hundred miles away was the Federation submarine U-35, and a still unseen foe trailing her...  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
--------------------------------  
"The reactions that surface ship officers display when meeting snakes and submarines are basically the same. They either want to kill it, or run away very quickly. NOW."  
  
Submariners consider enemy territory as "Target Rich Environments"...  
  
-Harpoon Strategy Guide 


	10. Chapter 10: Fish in the Water

Chapter 10: Fish in the Water  
  
Beneath the waves, the skipper of the Crimea was worried. Very worried. His sub had already been damaged by a few Federation planes a week ago, and he had just been ordered to search a Federation task force four hours ago despite that. He looked at the sonar display. The Federation fleet was still missing. Worse, a loose piece of metal in the bow courtesy of some Federation Don Escargots was still causing some flow noise. Not much but still...  
-------------------  
"Bingo," JP said quietly as he tapped his pencil on the sonar display. It showed a thin green line, representing a sound source. It was very weak, but certainly metallic. Definitely a submarine.  
  
"Nice job again Magic!" Major Alfonso replied with a smile.  
  
"Keep it down sir, remember?" John reminded his skipper. The Skate was in a silent routine, meaning that everything had to be muted, including conversations. She was twenty miles ahead of the rest of the fleet, and creeping very slowly to maximize her sonar performance. At Magic's request, of course.  
  
"Yes, yes, I forgot. Damn, I got a little excited. Good suggestion again John," the Major replied with a pat on the back, "Who do you think she is?"  
  
"Probably the Crimea sir. The Madras Don Escargot squadron said they picked her up and sank her supposedly with a pair of forward hits, guess they exaggerated her demise," John explained in a very muted tone, "It's got plenty of flow noise thanks to some loose pieces of metal in it's bow though, and I never would have found it without that little piece of luck. But I was right, the Zeeks did put a sub in this area."  
  
The Major smiled. Magic wasn't great because he had a sharp ear. Rather, he was good because he thinks like a submariner. He could "read" the minds of enemy sub skippers and guess their most likely locations and reactions, "Alright, how many minutes before the main fleet comes?" the Major asked the XO.  
  
"Thirteen minutes sir. We have to get her by then."  
  
"She's over ten miles away sir, suggest we use the Fanfan," John suggested.  
  
"XO, send the Fanfan to the coordinates, let's get her."  
------------------  
"Magic has done it again!" General Marc's aide reported to him as he handed him a report.  
  
"Excellent. Get a few anti-sub planes ready to support them just in case. And warn the rest of the fleet."  
  
"Aye-aye sir."  
-------------------  
"See Sylvie?" Earl said with a grin.  
  
"Alright, alright I was wrong but he's still an idiot," Sylvie replied defiantly.  
  
"In either case," Captain Karl interjected, "Get ready. That sub is just twenty five miles away. It'll take us less than fifteen minutes to get within it's weapons range."  
-------------------  
The Fanfan wasn't exactly built as an anti-submarine platform, John thought, but it was the closest thing the Federation had to a helicopter, and the helicopter was about the only thing that a submariner would ever admit being afraid of. After all, it was just about the only thing they couldn't shoot back at. He watched as the Skate's navalized Fanfan started to take off. It was a little different from the army one. In place of the six-tube missile launchers was a quartet of torpedoes and a few sonobouys -generally a disposable microphone bouy that could be used to detect enemy subs- as well as having a larger fuel capacity. Hopefully, the extra fuel wouldn't be needed.  
-----------------  
"Sir, weak transient bearing 007," the lead sonarman onboard the Crimea reported.  
  
The Captain finally smiled lightly for the first time in a week. A transient was a definite metallic sound, and it could only be man made. It seems he had found the fleet before the enemy found him. Perfect. "Launch the Gogs and send them to the bearing. XO, take her deep and let's make a speed run to close on them."  
  
The XO issued the appropriate commands, and the ship slipped beneath the thermal layer- the boundary between the hot and cold water in the ocean, which was almost impossible to penetrate with sound. Two Gogs on board then clambered out of the sub, heading towards the direction of the Federation fleet.  
-------------------  
"Oh ****," John said quietly, "She may have heard us launch the Fanfan, I've lost her beneath the layer."  
  
"Damn it, I thought we had that sucker cold," the Major complained, "What's the status on the Fanfan?"  
  
"Circling the area now, it's sonobouys haven't picked the enemy sub up yet," the XO reported.  
  
"Crap, tell'm to look somewhere else, I don't think this character is trying to evade," JP interjected.  
  
"Where do you think it went?" Alfonso asked.  
  
"Working on it."  
---------------------  
"Sir, I have a fuzzy sonar contact just three miles away," the Crimea's lead sonar man reported as the sub slowed to a crawl, "It might be a Federation destroyer."  
  
"It's probably just an outside picket, the main fleet has yet to arrive," the Captain declared, "Keep silent until we get more contacts."  
---------------------  
"OHHH SHOOT!" JP said a little too loudly, "Got him again, now 3 miles away. We might want to get that Gundam thingy ready too. I am hearing MS reactor sounds..."  
  
"Get Corporal Juan," the Major ordered, "And warn the fleet, they have under ten minutes before reaching weapon's range."  
----------------------  
"Uhh... sir, are you sure this mobile suit can really..."  
  
"CORPORAL JUAN IGNACIO! Are you related to that dumb*** John Recto?!!?!" the chief engineer asked angrily, "YES!! IT CAN!!"  
  
"Yes sir..." Juan replied sheepishly. Oh boy, underwater was such an uncommon element for colonists...  
  
"Chief! Keep it down! Silent routine remember?" Magic reminded over the intercom, "Uh-oh... I think we'd better launch that Gundam, NOW."  
-----------------------  
"That was a definite and very loud sound source! They may have us sir!" the lead sonar man reported.  
  
"Damn, looks like we can't wait for the main fleet. Alright, let's go get that tin can!" the Captain ordered.  
  
Outside, two Gog mobile suits broke out of formation and started to head to the surface, heading right towards the Skate.  
------------------------  
"Thanks a lot chief, thanks a lot..." John muttered as he heard at least two amphibious MS head towards the surface. Wonderful, "Requesting permission to use active sonar."  
  
"Do it Magic!" the Major approved. Active sonar was the type of sonar that produced the distinctive ping heard in many movies. It was more accurate that just listening for the enemy. Realistically though, it was rarely used because it was short ranged and often gave your own position away instead of the enemy. But now the enemy knew where they were anyway, and nothing was going to be gained from hiding.   
  
"Alright!" JP said as he depressed a button. The Skate's powerful sonar transducer was soon blasting the ocean with high frequency sound waves. Unlike radar, sound waves were not affected by Minovsky particles. These waves bounced off the hulls of the three Zeon units and returned to the waiting receiver on the Skate. The computer quickly processed the data, and it gave JP the exact position of all three Zeon units. "Got them, firing solution is set!"  
  
The Major nodded. Only one thing left to do, "Tubes 1 to 4, aim for the Crimea, 5 and 6, go for each MS!"  
--------------------------  
"Active sonar! OH ****! Fish in the water! Fish in the water!" the Crimea's lead sonar man screamed.  
  
"Fire tubes two to four at the enemy destroyer, snap shot, set course for bearing 180! Dive to 200 ft to evade!" the Captain ordered automatically. It was bad that the enemy fired the first shot, but hopefully he could evade its first volley...  
-------------------------  
"Man oh man, we are in BIG trouble!" JP screamed, "Three torpedoes in the water bearing 090! Speed is fifty knots!"  
  
"Turn 90 degrees port! Engines on full, prepare to launch the decoys!" the Major ordered.  
  
"Fanfan!" John called, "Get ahead of that sub and get ready to nail her!" The decision was automatic. The torps going after the Crimea looked as if they were going to miss. It was because the Skate was evading and had to cut the control wires guiding the torpedoes. Each torpedo had its own independent guidance system, of course, but it was just too easily fooled given the Crimea's evasive maneuvers. Curiously though, the enemy underwater MS seemed to be a little slow in their attempt to evade, and maybe if he was lucky...   
---------------------------  
"What the hell is happening out there?" General Marc asked as his crew tried desperately to get information.  
  
"Sir, torpedoes are all over the place! I can't make them out very well... Oh crap! I hear an explosion! "  
  
"Is it the Skate?" Marc asked worriedly.  
----------------------------  
"WHOA!" John remarked as the torpedoes exploded behind the Skate, going after the decoys, "Man this is getting serious! Alright! I have lock on MS Contact 2... IMPACT!"  
----------------------------  
"Captain! Gog 1 has been hit by a torpedo. No signal from the suit..."  
  
"Where are the torpedoes chasing us?"   
  
"Behind us, I think we managed to break their lock on."  
  
"Turn around and prepare to fire on that tin can," the Captain ordered, his voice low with rage...  
----------------------------  
"Kill confirmed!" John reported, "Fanfan is in perfect position sir!"  
  
"Alright John, tell'm to do it!" the Major ordered.  
  
"Alright! Fire all four torps! Kill that *******!"  
----------------------------  
"What the hell?!?!?! Sir four torps right above us!" the sonarman screamed.  
  
"Where the hell did they come from?!" the Captain asked before his blood chilled when he looked at the display. Outside, the pings coming from the torpedoes' sonar were growing louder and louder...  
-----------------------------  
"Scratch one, Zeek sub!" JP announced as four lines converged as one on his screen. A bright green blossom then appeared as all four torpedoes detonated on the enemy sub. What followed were the sounds of screeching bulkheads and of more secondary explosions, the death throes of a submarine, "Oh ****! We still have a problem! The second MS is heading straight for us!!! Launch the Gundam NOW!"  
-------------------------------  
The pilot of Gog Two had seen the explosions, and was eager to exact some revenge. He sent his mobile suit straight at the Skate at full speed, his arms and claws outstretched in preparation of cutting open the destroyer. In his rage he had not noticed that a second Mobile Suit was already in the water...  
------------------------------  
"Damn it..." Juan said as he tried to aim his torpedo gun correctly. It was much harder to move underwater, and the non-streamlined shape of the Gundam made it even worse. But at least the Gundam had power. Through sheer force he managed to move the gun enough to give it the proper elevation, and as the Gog entered his sights, he depressed the trigger.  
-------------------------------  
The Gog had just started to swing his arm towards the ship when the first torpedo hit the suit. The torpedo was smaller than the shipboard version and did not destroy it entirely. The Gog tried to turn around, but two more follow-on torpedoes impacted the suit, and the Gog disappeared in a white fireball that expanded from its core.  
------------------------------  
"That was close. WAAAAAAY TOO CLOSE!" John reported as a huge plume of water appeared just beside the Skate. The explosion had been close enough to rock the ship, but fortunately not close enough to cause any real damage. He looked behind him and saw the rest of the fleet in the distance. He grinned. They had managed to finish off that sub just in time.   
------------------------------  
Juan breathe a sigh of relief as his Gundam finally reached the surface. He had been worried that the underwater engines installed in the backpack would malfunction but it seems that the chief engineer had done his job right. He didn't even have to use his reserve power for this mission, he thought a little proudly. Maybe he DID have a future in this business after all...  
-------------------------------  
"Wow..." Sylvie said as she read the reports that had been sent to the Galahad's bridge. The Skate and that idiot had really pulled through for them. She looked outside and saw the Skate's cranes pulling Juan's Gundam back to her deck. Well, Juan had done well too hadn't he? She thought.  
  
"Well Sylvie, you forgive that guy now?" Earl asked as he put down his binoculars.  
  
"In a word, NEVER!" She replied defiantly. She knew it was the man-hater within her, but she just hated being treated like a dumb kid.   
  
"Well, according to the Captain the U-35 and U-47 are only fifty miles or so away, and that should be enough escort to keep us safe."  
  
"Well, that's reassuring."   
  
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" a lookout suddenly reported, pointing to a white object just skimming over the wave tops at high speed. Sylvie watched in horror as the missile streaked towards the LST Tristam and hit her. The ship then erupted into a huge fireball that sent shrapnel flying in all directions.   
  
"****! A sea skimming missile! Another sub is out there!" Earl said as another missile impacted the burning Tristam.   
  
"This is the Veneto, no further missiles inbound. Missiles came from bearing 094! Anti-sub forces, go find that SOB!"  
-----------------------------------  
"Magic!" Alfonso shouted.  
  
"Damn it! That guy just pulled a beautiful move on us skipper," John replied.  
  
"Any chance of finding her?"  
  
"Not a chance. She fired really far away. Bet is she heard the commotion between us and the Crimea and just fired a few missiles on the off chance he'd hit something. Well, his gamble paid off." John explained angrily as he observed the burning remnants of the Tristam, "Let's just pick up the survivors, if there are any that is, and move on. If this character tries to come back and do some more damage using torpedoes, chances are we'll pick her up."  
-----------------------------------  
"Well, what now?" Karl asked as he entered the bridge.  
  
"We're leaving in a few minutes. Wahoo will spend some time looking for survivors, but there's not much chance..." Sylvie reported.  
  
"Damn!" Karl muttered. Seven tanks and 21 crew gone. Just like that.  
----------------------------------  
"Was that the surface fleet?" Col. Ken Mason asked.  
  
"Yes sir, looks like they lost an LST," the chief sonarman reported.   
  
"Did we pick up anything?"  
  
"No sir, our area is quiet."  
-------------------------------------  
"We got lucky sir," Dirk reported as he pointed to a blotch on the screen, "We got one of them."  
  
Col. Conrad nodded and patted Dirk in the back. It was Dirk who had heard the commotion earlier and correctly deduced it was the enemy fleet taking on the Crimea. They were VERY lucky that their long range missiles had found their mark. Even better, he now knew where the enemy fleet. Unfortunately, if Dirk was right, the Crimea had been sunk. And one sub definitely can not take them all at once. "Alright XO, let's get out of here and rendezvous with the Iberia, hopefully we'll be able to link up in time to sink the rest of the fleet."  
------------------------------------  
Sylvie watched as the remnants of the Tristam's hull slipped beneath the waves. The Wahoo had managed to rescue 11 men, all badly burned. But that was just a mere fraction of its total crew. She just hoped that it was the last time.   
  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	11. Chapter 11: Test Basis

Chapter 11: Test Basis  
  
General Marc McCampbell looked outside of his carrier's bridge. It was almost dawn now, and the fleet was only a hundred miles from the enemy base. Three hours to H-hour.  
  
"Launch the first wave," General McCampbell ordered. Beside the island* superstructure of his carrier Sierra Madre, a squadron of navalized Fly Manthas rocketed off the carrier's deck. The Himalaya class carriers were based on a flawed, old Russian carrier design**, and thus had only one flight deck directly beside the bridge. Not only did it prevent launching and recovering aircraft at the same time unlike the late 20th Century's Enterprise and Nimitz class carriers, it also meant that they would NOT be able to launch any planes at all if it got damaged. McCampbell grunted, but what's built was built, it was too late to change it. Besides, he didn't have THAT many planes to launch anyway. A second squadron of Fly Manthas followed the first, and behind them, their escorting squadron of TIN Cods were also preparing for launch.   
-----------------------------  
Alfonso smiled as he watched JP napping at his post. John had always insisted that he should NOT leave his post during a combat operation. Weird, but he said he was more comfortable there rather than on a bed. Well, at least the kid didn't snore, he thought, but he was worried a bit of his lead sonar man. A mere twenty-one years old, he'd probably seen enough death to last him a lifetime. Worse, his home, the Philippines, was still largely in Zeon hands. How could he handle it? The Major wondered. Even himself, an officer, had plenty of problems with that. He lit up a cigarette and took a puff. Well, one of those mysteries of life he guessed.  
----------------------------   
She should be sleeping, Sylvie knew, but somehow she HAD to stay out here on the deck and marvel at the ocean. She'd never really been at sea, and only now after all the hectic activity of the past day had she realized how peaceful it seemed. Almost like... almost like space. So vast and seemingly infinite. And she didn't have to breathe from a tin can either.   
  
"AHHH! Maurice! Don't do that here!" a voice suddenly shouted behind her.   
  
Sylvie looked behind her just in time to see Maurice run past her holding her mouth with both hands. OH SHOOT... she thought as she quickly stepped out of the way. She just made it as Maurice fell on the deck and started barfing. Damn it, she thought angrily... it had felt SO peaceful and she just had to...  
  
"Sorry Sylvie," Pat explained. It had been him who had shouted earlier, "Maurice forgot her sea sickness pills again..."  
  
"Well, it's her first time, like all of us," a new voice explained. It was Max, who was very close to what seemed to her as a smile. Sylvie sighed and smiled lightly herself. Maurice was now just about the only person that Max would ever smile to. Ever since that day... but now wasn't time for a history lesson.  
------------------------------  
"What is TAKING them..." Cynthia moaned angrily. The fleet was late. Not THAT late but if a Zeon transport came in to bring reinforcements then...   
  
"There they are!" Shoji reported. Suddenly, several explosions rocked the Zeon base as the first wave of Federation aircraft began to bomb the base.  
  
The first wave's job was to destroy the entrances to the sub pens. Hopefully, it would prevent Zeon submarines from docking with the base at least until the main fleet arrived. The first squadron of three managed to destroy the entrances of two of the pens. However, the third was only slightly damaged. The second squadron of Fly Manthas then began their attack run to finish the job.  
  
They were not as fortunate as the first squadron, however. As they approached the sky grew alive with anti air fire, and one Fly Mantha was surprised and taken down. A second was killed just after releasing its bombs, only to miss. But his effort was not completely in vain, as the third Fly Mantha broke through the dense fire and dropped his load. The bombs impacted precisely on top of the sub pen.  
-----------------------------------  
"Damn it Major!" Brigadier General Charles Kennings, commander of the Zeon base, shouted angrily as he saw the bombs of the third Fly Mantha completely demolish the base's submarine pen no. 2. He couldn't believe it had just happened. The pens had been to designed to take on a nuclear blast, and now three CONVENTIONAL bombs had just demolished it like it was nothing. And the Major was SUPPOSED to have kept a strict watch. A series of explosions behind the General then announced the destruction of his radar facilities as a second wave of Fly Manthas bombed his base.  
  
"Sir..." the Major started as he arrived at the control tower.  
  
"Sergeant Mannings, arrest this officer for negligence and throw him in the stockade! Shoot him at dawn!" the General ordered angrily.  
  
"But sir..." the Major started before he was taken away by the fearful Sergeant. General Kennings was one tyrannical and unforgiving commander. One of the real die-hard Zabi supporters who tolerated little but their own extreme ideologies and egos.  
  
The General looked back at the sub pens. Pens 1 and 3 were still relatively intact, but their entrances had been destroyed and it would take days to fix. Damn it! Those stupid engineers he thought angrily, he'd have them shot too with that Major. Now he would be unable to house any submarines for at least two days. And he was quite sure that he didn't have two days. He muttered a curse before ordering, "Tell the Kamchatka and Iberia!"  
------------------------------  
"Sir, transmission from the main base sir. Oh crap! They say the pens are unusable sir and radar is down," the Kamchatka's chief communications officer reported.  
  
"Damn it! What the hell happened?" the skipper asked angrily. Probably because of that stupid General Kennings, he didn't add. Most of the Zeon fleet command was competent enough, but Kennings was a moron whose "political reliability" was the only thing keeping him in command of the base. Well, that and the Kamchatka of course, he thought with a slight bit of pride.  
  
"Sir, carrier-based planes knocked out the pens. They say we should link up with the Iberia and resupply from them."  
  
"Great, just great," he replied angrily. The Mad Angler class subs did have limited resupply capabilities. However, it wasn't as good as a base. Moreover, at sea replenishment took longer, a delay that could take as long as two hours...   
-----------------------------  
"Sir, Fly Manthas report mission accomplished, but they have lost two planes and another is damaged," an aide reported to General McCampbell.  
  
"Alright, at least they did it," he replied quietly. It had been a risky mission for the planes, but it had worked. And it may have bought them more time. He looked back at the horizon. It was around an hour to dawn. Around the same time it would take for them to reach that damn base.  
--------------------------------   
"Sir I have a transmission over the gertrude," the Kamchatka's comms officer reported, referring to the submarine's underwater telephone.  
  
"I confirm the presence of a Mad Angler-class submarine sir," Dirk reported, "No further contacts, looks like the coast is clear sir."  
  
The skipper nodded. It had taken an hour to reach a safe rendezvous point, but at least they had found each other relatively quickly. "This is the Colonel Mathew Conrad of the Zeon submarine Kamchatka, who are you?"  
  
"I am Colonel Yevgeni Ivanovich of the Iberia, glad to hear you Kamchatka."  
  
"Are you prepared for the resupply operation?" Mathew asked, straight to the point.  
  
"We are ready to surface. We have fuel and some new MSMs for you, but unfortunately we do not have enough spare ammunition..."  
  
"Let's do it, we may not have time."  
--------------------------------  
"Dangerous Ground indeed," JP said he did a quick sweep of the sea bottom. The waters just west of Palawan had been called as "Dangerous Ground" by the Japanese Navy in WWII. It was a prime hunting ground for submarines then, and so it remained even now. The sea was now littered with so much wreckage and rocks that it would reduce sonar performance and make detection of submarines a whole lot harder. Not good since an amphibious assault was only minutes away, he thought, as the island of Palawan became steadily visible over the horizon.  
  
"But it's still your home John," Major Alfonso commented. John nodded. Palawan was just one of the many islands of the Philippines, but it was a start. As long as they got there in one piece, of course.  
----------------------------------  
"Systems check," Sylvie ordered as Pat and Earl manned their positions in her Type 74. One of the nice things about this operation was they were issued with brand new equipment, and much as she missed her lucky old Type 74, it was SO much nicer to have a brand new truck...   
  
"Ground sonar is good," Earl reported.  
  
"The engine is also a beaut Sylvie," Pat reported.   
  
"Alright! Sir, this is Home Plate," Sylvie reported to Captain Karl using her Type 74's new callsign, "We are ready."  
  
"Good, Harper, Evans, what is your status."  
  
"Harper here, my GM is ready," Max reported coolly.  
  
"I'm ready too sir," Maurice reported.  
  
"Good. All of you, rehearse the plan in your brains one more time. And prepare to synchronize your watches. We are now 16 minutes to the landing. It is now 0614 hours, ready... Mark!"  
--------------------------------------------  
The Sea Lance was perhaps one of the most under-used machines in the Zeon Navy. It was a small, practically one-man craft that was akin to a midget sub or PT boat of a bygone age long ago. Usually too small for actual combat operations, its only real use in this war has largely been in reconnaissance roles where its small size and good sensors made it ideal for that mission. The Zeon Palawan base had three of these units, and one was being prepared for launch just before dawn for a routine patrol...  
--------------------------------  
"Good luck men," General Marc McCampbell said as the two LSTs and the destroyers Wahoo and Skate began to speed up towards land. The Sierra Madre, the Veneto and the two submarines were incapable of navigating the shallow waters near land and thus were forced to stay some fifteen miles from the coast. Though they would have lots of support from the Sierra Madre's aircraft, the four ships would be on their own. And it would take ten long minutes for the LST to reach the beach. And if that wasn't bad enough, they still had to trust some guerillas...  
--------------------------------  
"What the hell are these?!?!" Mathew exclaimed as he observed the new Zeon underwater MS while the crew hurried with the resupply effort. Two were easily recognizable as an Acguy and a Gog. But the rest looked weird. In fact, they looked downright ugly.  
  
"These are the newest MS that our California development team has come up with for our assault on Jaburo. The one with the tentacle hands is the Acgugay, a close-combat type suit. The one with the 230-mm rocket launchers on its hands is called the Juagg and it's a long range assault..." Colonel Ivanovich started.  
  
"They look ugly. And these are PROTOTYPES?! Damn it we have a ton of Gogs and Acguys and they give us these!?"  
  
"Calm down. You'll like their performance. It's not that great but the design team wanted us to try it out before Jaburo..."  
  
"We might lose a very important base if we don't..."  
  
"I'll make sure we don't sir, if you don't mind," a new female voice said confidently.  
  
Mathew turned and saw a short black haired Japanese woman wearing a pilot's uniform, "And who are you?"  
  
"Captain Yoko Nagato. Pilot of the new Zugock S type sir," she replied with an air of superiority about her.  
  
"Watch this lady Mathew," Yevgeni advised, "She's a MSM ace. And the new prototype Zugock she has is a wonderful machine. And we've managed to test it out a bit too. A great MS. We'll be unstoppable when we mass-produce it."  
  
With the loss of Odessa, Mathew thought pessimistically, good luck mass-producing it. However, he HAD heard about MIP's new Zugok, and it was theoretically one hell of a machine. But he knew nothing about its real performance, nor its FEMALE pilot that had somehow become "ace." He had never heard her name before, though somehow the evil black color scheme of her Zugok told more than he wanted to know...  
------------------------------  
"I have a new radar and sonar contact sir," Magic reported, "Looks like a Sea Lance just preparing to leave the coast."  
  
"Is it heading for us?" Alfonso asked.  
  
"It is sir. I think we should take it down. There's a good chance they have picked us up already."  
  
"Ready the 5 inch gun! JP, direct their fire!" the Major ordered.  
  
"Alright gun crew... aim for bearing 107... elevation 90, declination..."  
-----------------------------  
The Sea Lance had just left its tiny dock when it detected several unknown ships approaching port. The dark sky made visual contact impossible, but its sonar clearly showed emissions from several surface vessels. And Zeon had almost no surface ships... its pilot had just begun to send a warning when a huge plume of water appeared just off its port side...  
-----------------------------  
"Miss!" Magic reported, "Shift fire 15 degrees right, drop two hundred, fire three round burst!" Outside the bridge, the five inch gun made the proper adjustments and fired off three quick rounds, all heading right for the Sea Lance.  
-------------------------------  
The Sea Lance pilot never knew what hit him. He had swung violently port side only to meet a trio of five inch shells that blew him and his recce craft to pieces. Ironically, his death had been the key to accomplishing his mission. The explosion was seen by soldiers near the dock and was quickly reported to the command center, giving the base a few more seconds warning before the onslaught came.  
-----------------------------  
"Damn it! What happened to the lookouts?! How did they let the fleet get this close!" General Kennings screamed at his new aide.  
  
"Sir, no watch orders were given due to your orders to concentrate fixing the pens..."  
  
"Alright, enough! We will discuss your court-martial later! Prepare the anti-air guns, the initial assault will probably come by air." He was almost right.  
-----------------------------------------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
  
*Island is the term for the carrier's control tower.  
  
*Personal observation: The Himalaya bears a stark resemblance to the Kiev class Submarine-Hunting Aviation Cruisers (to use the proper term:)) that were first introduced in the 1970s(and they ARE crappy, compared to the awesome US carriers).   
  
The only big difference is that the Himalaya has a double gun turret in place of the Kiev's cruise missile launchers. Good bet is the Himalaya was taken from that design(since it was built around the time MSG was released and "seemed" to be a good ship at the time). It also has the "ski jump" launching system instead of the traditional catapults of American and Japanese carriers. The Kiev though, is far smaller than the Himalaya. It can only carry the Yak-38 Forger jumpjet, the Russian (and VERY inferior) version of the Harrier.  
  
The full depiction of a Kiev class carrier can be seen in the site Warships of the World(as well as the aforementioned Kidd class). A glorious ANIME depiction (YES! THERE IS!) can be seen in Neo Genesis Evangelion Episode 6: Asuka Strikes. (That ep had some of the finest depictions of real world modern day warships I've EVER seen. The names of most ships were even right(ie Kirov, Udaloy) or according to naval conventions(ie Tennesee, Kentucky)! Nice one Gainax!) 


	12. Chapter 12: The Monster's Lair

Chapter 12: The Monster's Lair  
  
"Alright Cynthia, we only have three sturmfausts, make it count," Shoji cautioned.  
  
"Yes sir, don't worry, I never miss," she replied as she aimed the captured disposable Zeon bazooka at the power plant. It had been built right on the side of a mountain making it hard to destroy from above, but not from the side. As the power plant's concrete structure centered on her sights, she fired.  
------------------------  
"What in the world..." one of the base's Zaku pilots exclaimed as a bright trail of smoke suddenly appeared out of the rocky ground. What followed was a huge explosion coming from the direction of the main power plant. He looked at it, and saw that it had been badly damaged, though still operational. He quickly searched the area were the smoke trail had come and aimed his machine gun...  
-------------------------  
"****!" Cynthia exclaimed. Her aim was perfect, but it was tougher than she thought. She quickly picked up her second round and aimed. She fired even as a Zaku from the base began to open fire on her.  
-------------------------  
The pilot of the enemy Zaku was shocked to see a second rocket streak towards the plant. He watched as the second sturmfaust finish the job of the first as it completely demolished the power plant. Predictably, all the lights on the base went out, and he quickly turned back to the source of the fire, eager for revenge. But all he saw was a flash.  
------------------------  
"Serves him right..." Cynthia exclaimed as the Lieutenant fired a five round burst that killed the enemy Zaku. She had been hit, but the damage wasn't serious. But the BIG problem was that the other Zakus had spotted them now...  
  
"Damn, looks like we're going to have to fight. Guerilla troops, open fire!" Shoji ordered. Around him, the rest of the guerillas began to fire their own hand-held anti-tank weaponry at the Zeon vehicles sprawled along the base. A Kyie personnel carrier would be the first to die. A hit right on its central gun mount broke the craft in two, killing the driver and gunner instantly. The infantry men began to dismount, but then the fuel tank exploded, engulfing the whole squad in flames...  
-----------------------  
"What the hell is going on?!" General Kenning asked as all the lights in his base suddenly went out, followed by a series of explosions on the other side of the base.  
  
"Sir... guerillas! We have guerillas attacking the base!" an aide reported.  
  
"Damn it, get ready to anni..." the General started before a squadron of three Fly Manthas suddenly flew right over the command center and released their bomb loads. A second later, the command center disappeared in a massive fireball, and all hopes for any semblance of a coordinated defense disappeared with it.  
------------------------  
"Looks like the party is starting," JP commented as explosions began to fill the base, "No sonar contacts as of yet, want us to join in the party sir? We still have five minutes to landing..."  
  
"Tell the five inch mount were you think it'll be useful Magic," the Major ordered.  
  
"Alright! Five inch gun, we're going to have some more action for you... aim for..."  
-----------------------  
The beach was beginning to fill with smoke form all the explosions, Sylvie saw. The landings ought to go well... she hoped. Suddenly, the Skate's guns began to fire on the shore. She was surprised since they weren't part of the fire plan, "Skate what are you..."  
  
A bunker on shore suddenly exploded from a five inch shell hit. Two more followed in the space of a minute, and then fire shifted to a Zaku crouching in a foxhole. Three direct hits reduced it to scrap.  
  
"Making your job easier, Army," a familiar voice responded. It was that guy again... GREAT!  
  
"What about the existing fire plan..."  
  
"Only killing the stuff the fly boys missed. Magic out," the voice replied in a light tone. Sylvie looked at the receiver and thought about banging it on the ground, that moron...  
---------------------------  
"Damn it... we CAN'T hold on for much longer..." Shoji muttered. Three Magella Attacks and another Kyie were burning, but three Zakus were nearing their positions and he had no prospect of holding them for long.   
  
"Sir, I think I have the fleet's frequency..." Cynthia reported just as she used her shield to block some machine gun fire, "We have to ask them for help!"  
  
"Do it!"  
--------------------------   
"What the..." Magic said as he heard what seemed to be a very familiar voice over the radio.  
  
"Damn it, get off this frequency!" the comms officer shouted, "This isn't..."  
  
"Comms, give the transmitter to me!" Magic said as he grabbed the radio. The comms officer looked incredulously at John as he pushed him away. What the heck was this guy up to now?  
  
"Hello, hello, this is EFS Skate, who are you?" Magic asked.  
  
"This is Cynthia Patterson of the Philippine resistance! For pity's sake we need help out here!!!"   
  
"Cynthia...? My God... Hold on! Give us your coordinates right now!"  
  
"What the hell?" the Major asked angrily at JP. He was getting out of line.  
  
"I KNOW her skipper, she's definitely EF. Probably the guys who took out the plant for us. Sir, we need to help them!"  
  
The Major considered the situation for a moment. Ordinarily, they NEVER did this but they DID owe the Philippine resistance some..."Alright, contact the ground commander!"  
-------------------------------  
"Sir I have flash traffic from Skate requesting support for some... Guerilla units?" an aide reported to General McCampbell and Col. Patterson.  
  
"Damn, they know we can't help them..." General McCampbell said firmly.  
  
"Wait... who are the guerillas?" the Col. asked.  
  
"Sir, its from a civilian named Cynthia..."  
  
"Sir, I think we do owe them one, do we not?" the Colonel said quickly.  
  
"Damn it Sean! You know I can't..."  
  
"Please sir."  
---------------------------------  
"Alright, one minute to go! See you all on the beach!" Captain Karl said as the LST neared the beach.  
  
"Sir! Emergency traffic! Guerilla unit have not yet withdrawn. We have to help them as best as we can..." Sylvie reported.  
  
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!" Karl demanded.  
  
"They got pinned on the way out sir..."  
  
Karl mumbled a curse. It was a cardinal rule that you never changed plans at the last minute. But, looking at the rising sun in front of him, he DID owe them, and he always paid back his debts, "Alright troops, you heard her! Let's do it!"  
  
"Twenty seconds to go..." Earl reported, "Be careful, there is still one shore battery left..."  
  
The ship was suddenly rocked by an explosion as a shot from that shore battery hit the Galahad. "Alright, take it out first. Ten seconds to go..."  
------------------------------------------  
The gun crew of the last surviving turret on the beach watched as the LST beached itself on the bank. They were alone, command was not responding to any of their requests, but they were determined to kill some of the invading enemy before they died. They aimed the guns right on the landing door just as it slowly began to open, when suddenly one of the GMs used its thrusters and leapt right above them, too high for them to hit, and opened fire...  
-----------------------------------  
"Wow..." Sylvie said in amazement just as she watched the Captain take out the last turret on the beach. Several Magella Attacks appeared in the distance, but then a combined volley of 100mm shells by all three GMs reduced them to scrap.  
  
"Alright, Maurice! Clear the beach of enemies! Max, follow me!" the Captain ordered, his GM moving slowly towards the direction of the guerillas.  
-------------------------------  
All hell was breaking loose on the base, Mathew thought as the reports came in. But the Iberia and Kamchatka had finished the underway replenishment operation in record time, and they were now about fifteen minutes from the base.   
  
"Sir, don't worry. My team can handle them," Yoko told him confidently.  
  
"Yes, I know, but I still don't like that second Zogop extending arms suit thingy that you have..."  
  
"Zogok sir, prototype close-combat suit," Yoko explained, "Don't worry the pilot is one of the better ones in my team, Keith Milton."  
  
"Right, right... but what exactly do you do? I've never heard of you before, and the list of aces is pretty short."  
  
"You'll have to wait twenty years sir, and for some, maybe never. That's all you need to know."  
  
Yeah, but we're not too bad too you know... he didn't add.  
------------------------------  
"Trust the EF to leave us hanging like this..." Cynthia moaned as a rocket killed three members of the guerilla team. Seven men were dead now, and more were injured, and they were running out of ammo. They did manage to damage one more Zak, but the other two were now using bazookas to pepper them with rocket fire, and she only had one sturmfaust left to respond. Wonderful. She aimed it at the nearest Zaku and centered it in her sights. She fired, but the Zaku managed to evade just in time. Damn it! She thought, she almost had...  
  
A burst of fire suddenly hit the Zaku and dropped the suit dead on the ground. The burst was followed by another which killed the second Zaku, while a final burst from the Lieutenant's machine gun finished off the third. She turned to see a pair of MS she had never seen before.  
  
"You the guerillas?" a German voice asked them.  
  
"Yes, I am Lieutenant Shoji Yamagata of the Philippine resistance, formerly of the 19th Battalion. Who are YOU?"  
  
"Captain Karl Grunther of the 44th Tactical Mobile Suit Company."  
  
"Thank you sir for bailing us out..."  
  
"Merely returning the favor, need help for the wounded?" he asked.  
  
"Appreciated."  
  
"Sylvie! Get your truck up here now! We have a lot of wounded men..."  
------------------------------------  
"Wow..." Dave Anderson said as his Type 61s landed on the beach. They were hardly needed at all. A GM was already guarding the beach for them to land, and so far it seemed that there would be pretty much nothing to do for this operation, seeing all the burning wrecks about them.  
  
"Sweep the area for stragglers, and be careful," Col. Sean ordered over the radio.  
  
"Alright! You heard the Colonel. Sweep in groups of two. Atkins, you come with me."  
--------------------------------------  
"Back on the job again, Magic?" Major Alfonso asked.  
  
"There might be one more Zeon sub out there skipper," John replied coolly as he adjusted his headphones.  
  
"You think he'll come back?"  
  
"Its probably the Kamchatka sir, she ALWAYS comes back."  
-----------------------------------  
"Good luck Colonel," Captain Nagato said as she launched her Zugok just five miles from the now separated Federation fleet.   
  
"Good luck to you too, Captain," Mathew replied. The enemy fleet had been split. A carrier, a cruiser and two subs to the west and two tin cans and LSTs to the east. Their plan called for the subs and two MSMs, a Gog and an Acguy, to attack the carrier while the four other MSMs attacked the landing force. It was a feasible plan, and he just hoped that they could pull it off. He had faced dangerous missions before, but now he could not afford to fail.  
-----------------------------------   
"What the...?" JP said, "OH ****! Did I just hear a transient?"  
  
"They are here?" the Major asked.  
  
"Not sure, what's the story on the Veneto?"  
  
"No contacts, according to its skipper," the XO reported.  
  
"I think we should launch the Gundams now, just in case" JP said quietly.  
  
"Alright Magic, launch them now."  
-------------------------------------  
"Earl, need any help back there?" Sylvie asked as she dressed the wounds of one of the guerillas. Earl was a far better medic than her, and was thus inside the Type 74 bandaging up a more seriously wounded trooper with the help of Pat. What help he could given that is...  
  
"This is Captain Anderson, we have cleared out most of the base, seems pretty empty except for dazed Zeon troops," the Type 61 commander reported over the radio.  
  
Well, after all the shell shock, who wouldn't be dazed she thought. She looked back at her Type 74 to get an answer from Earl, just in time to see a rocket streak towards it and explode, sending her and everybody near it flying into the air. She hit the ground hard, and looked up, only to see in her horror that her Type 74 had been blown to pieces. She rushed towards it, but was quickly stopped by one of the guerillas.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Karl screamed as he scanned the area. A second shot then exploded one of the guerilla's Zakus, but his eyes quickly found its source and opened fire. A single, fat, black painted MS sprang out from the rocks and started to hover on its feet. Damn it! He thought, it's that prototype again...  
  
"Damn you!" a female voice suddenly screamed as the second guerilla Zaku opened fire on the fast-moving enemy unit. Her shots fell short as the rest of the team began to open fire on it.  
  
Sylvie was dragged to a foxhole by one of the guerillas even as she tried to stop tears from rolling down her cheeks. Pat... Earl... Damn it!  
-----------------------------------------  
"What the..." JP said as they finished launching the Gundam, "There are still enemy units on shore! They say it's one of the pro..."  
  
Suddenly, just as the Wahoo had finished launching her own Gundam, a series of explosions ripped through its hull and exploded the destroyer.   
  
"Ahh ****!" JP screamed as he automatically turned on the Skate's active sonar. The result was a remarkably fuzzy contact, but he had four enemy MSMs in the water. Very bad news.  
-------------------------------------------  
"What was that explosion?" the skipper of the U-47 demanded.  
  
"Sir, the Wahoo just blew up we..."  
  
Suddenly, the screeching sound of metal being torn open reverberated all around them. An instant later, water rushed in.  
------------------------------  
"What the..." Skipper Ken Mason said as he heard an explosion very close to his ship.  
  
"Sir! We have enemy MSMs in the water! We have to move!" the junior sonarman screamed.  
  
"Flank speed! Chief, what about you?"  
  
"I don't hear anything!"  
  
An explosion gave lie to that statement as a torpedo impacted the U-35. "Damage report!" Ken ordered.  
  
"We're losing power! We are going down!"  
---------------------------------  
"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" John growled angrily at himself just as the wreck of the Wahoo disappeared beneath the waves. He should have used his active sonar a lot earlier. Now they were alone against four MSMs and...  
  
"Sir! The Sierra Madre is screaming for help! Both subs are down, Veneto has been torpedoed!" the comms officer reported excitedly.  
  
"Damn it..." the Major said angrily, "Alright! Let's get out into the open ocean and support the carrier!"  
  
"Sir, suggest we leave the Fanfan behind to support our the Gundams..."  
---------------------------------  
"Be careful, everyone," Captain Nagato cautioned as they spotted the two Gundams now struggling in the water, "Alright, Juagg and Acgugay, attack the one on the left. Zogok, follow me. We'll take the other one."  
  
"No problem mam!" Keith Milton replied as he charged his Zogok at the nearest enemy MS, Juan's RX-79.  
  
"Eat this!" Juan screamed as he fired on the closing enemy suit. Being in shallow water, there was plenty of light to help him spot the weird looking red-painted monster. But the enemy was fast, too fast, and his torpedoes missed. As the distance closed Juan discarded his torpedo launcher in favor of a beam sabre. Being underwater, it was less effective, but it was the only thing he had. The suit then stopped just out of arm's length as Juan frantically tried to maneuver his craft underwater. He was totally shocked to see both arms extend and smash their razor sharp edges right into his suit...  
----------------------------------------  
"What the hell..." Sergeant Fred Chan said as he saw the Zogok's arms extend like an accordion and hit Juan's Gundam in the chest. He wanted to help, but he was in big trouble right now. Two new enemy MSMs were on him, and his Gundam couldn't maneuver worth a damn underwater. As a result his left hand was gone from a direct missile hit from the support-type MS, and he was even now frantically trying to keep the tentacle like hands of the second from shredding his suit to pieces. It was like fighting a pair of giant squids, he thought angrily as his suit was hit by one of the tentacles causing some damage. There had to be a better way...  
--------------------------------------  
On the Vietnamese coast several hundred miles away, the Federation's 47th Air Group received a frantic call of help from the carrier Sierra Madre. Within minutes two flights of Don Escargot sub-hunting planes took off from its base's lone runway, closely followed by another flight of Dep Rog bombers.  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	13. Chapter 13: The Clash

My apologies for the late post, but I've been in the middle of projects and neglected to post, but here's three new chapters ^_^. Also...  
  
Rob-  
  
Umm... didn't I actually say the Kiev class was horrible compared to an American carrier? I do realize that Kiev is merely an VSTOL-capable aircraft aviation cruiser, and is not a power-projecting super carrier as most American carriers are. A better comparison is indeed the Wasp class(though the Wasp class ships are actually classified as a Marine assault ships, rather than carriers, and are used as such) though, as well as England's Invincible class. Thanks for your input on the fanfic though, I'm very grateful ^_^.  
  
The Anonymous One-  
  
Hi, sorry if my new chapters came a bit late, and yes, it was my intention to portray the rather "grey" nature of war in this fic, hence you will be seeing rather unsavory characters on both sides in this fic. I am taking your suggestions though, especially since I'm already in the process of writing the third sequel of this fic(yes, the second sequel is already finished, but yet to be posted ^_^), to which I'm really trying to add in the extreme blurring of good and evil during UC 0087's Gryps War...  
  
Also, you are correct in the assertion a normal takeoff is more efficient- The British Invincible class ships designed the ski-jump on their carriers specifically for that purpose.  
  
Anyway, back to the fic. Oh, and I'm also going to try to convince some veteran UC fic writers that I've come to know from my old home the Gundamwatch to start posting their UC works here, just to give ffnet more good old UC/OYW military fics for your viewing pleasure ^_^.  
  
Chapter 13: The Clash  
  
"Come on, come on, just a little more to the left..." Captain Karl said as he aimed at the speeding Dom. A further pair of reinforcing Type 61s had fallen victim to it, and he was in no mood to lose any more men. Just as it entered its sights, it strafed violently to the right and avoided his sights completely, and fired its last rocket at Harper. Max tried to evade, but his leg was caught by the rocket, and his GM collapsed to the ground.  
  
"Damn it! This ******* is an ace!" Cynthia screamed as her rounds fell short. The Dom then drew its heat sword and started to head right for her...  
--------------------------  
"What the hell is happening everywhere?!" Maurice asked angrily. Everything was blowing up, and she had no idea what was happening. Sylvie wasn't responding, Max wasn't responding, the fleet wasn't responding. What the hell was going on? And still she and a pair of Type 61s had not been ordered off the beach. She looked at the Fanfan now hovering over the water, seemingly hunting for something below the water...  
---------------------------  
"Damn you..." Juan moaned angrily as he tried to rebalance his RX-79 properly. Some systems were out, but the tough Luna Titanium armor on it needed a lot more than that to pierce it. Extending arms, huh? Juan thought as he waited for the Zogok to make its next move.  
-------------------------  
"Got'm!" the Fanfan's sonoubouy's operator reported, "****, he's awfully close to our Gundam..."  
  
"Crap, to hell with it! Launch torpedoes!"  
-------------------------  
"Keith, behind you!" Yoko warned as she saw a quartet of torpedoes were dropped on the water by the Fanfan. She quickly fired her left arm's custom beam gun into the air. Normally, Zugoks only had shell-based weapons, but she had a customized one with a beam gun and a multiple missile pod in her back. Her good aim was rewarded by an explosion.  
  
Keith had heard her warning, but he was in too good a position to finish off the enemy MS. It was a Gundam alright, he reflected, but it was still just another MS. He aimed right at its damaged chest and extended his arms again...  
  
Juan was waiting for this. As the arms came, he suddenly grabbed the left one with both his arms. The second continued on and cracked his torso, but no matter as he held the Zogok firmly with the sheer power of his MS. It frantically tried to extricate itself, but then one by one all four torpedoes hit it in the back, severely damaging the MSM. Juan then pulled out his second beam sabre, and before it could react, Juan slashed the Zogok's already weakened hull in half. "Don't look down on me..." Juan said quietly, putting his beam sabre back to its knee compartment as the remains of the Zogok exploded.  
  
"Keith!!!" Captain Nagato said angrily as she charged the Gundam. She was going to avenge him, she thought angrily, as she fired her beam gun at Juan's Gundam, severing it left arm. She fired twice more, missing the first but damaging the head with the second. Then she charged straight for it, intending to finish it of by gutting it open with her Zugok's claws.  
  
Juan coughed as water began to ingress into his MS. The hits had finally caused some of the of waterproof seals to give way, and pretty soon his Gundam would sink to the ocean bottom. But he still had one trick up his sleeve. He picked up a button with the words "Emergency" on it...  
  
Yoko grinned savagely as she prepared to poke the Gundam with her claws. Suddenly, the Gundam held up its right arm along with its clip-on shield to block her attack. The shield was shattered, but the Gundam was saved. Suddenly, the Gundam grabbed her with its good arm, and she felt herself accelerating towards the surface...  
--------------------------------  
Well, Fred Chan thought, that kid sure as hell was creative. He saw Juan grab the Zugok by the arm and used his emergency power to send both of them flying into the air and into the beach. In fact, Fred reflected, it was one hell of a good idea. The Gundam WAS a ground type MS, and it was still better used on land. "Alright you ugly whatevers! Come get me!" he shouted as he rocketed his own Gundam out of the water. He was quickly followed by the two MSMs a moment later.  
---------------------------------  
"What the..." Maurice said as she saw a RX-79 fly into the air dragging a new black enemy MSM with it, followed by another Gundam Ground Type and two more rather strange looking MSMs...  
  
"MAURICE! HELP!" Juan cried as he began to wrestle with the angry Zugok. The Zugok poked his Gundam right in the chest, severely damaging it, but then he fired a combination of flares and vulcans from his chest weapons right on its monoeyes. The MSM was stunned for a moment, and Juan kicked the Zugok off, then drew his beam sabre in preparation of a final blow.  
  
But Yoko wasn't about to get herself beaten that easy. She fired her multiple missile pod, which would later be carried on the still unbuilt Hygogs, right on the beach. A swarm of rockets peppered the Federal Forces, killing one of the Type 61s and damaging all three MS.  
  
But Juan's Gundam was still operational, and he charged the Zugok. The Zugok had no shield to defend itself, and so did the next best thing, a counterattack. Yoko smashed her suit's right arm into the Gundam's chest, but before it could power down it had managed to stab her suit as well, toppling both their machines down into the ground. Both Juan and Yoko stared at each other's machine intently, waiting for a catastrophic explosion that would finish them both off...  
  
But no explosion came. Being in prototype MS, both had been unfamiliar with their adversary's unit, and thus both had missed each other's reactor, though in Juan's case only by a whisker. But they were both in no mood to see if their tremendous luck would hold, and they quickly began to bail out of their now immobile suits.  
  
Maurice and Fred though, were still in the thick of it. The Juagg in the background had fired another volley of 320mm shells, missing them both but killing the surviving Type 61. Meanwhile, the Acgugay was engaging them BOTH with its heat-rod filled arms, and the tentacle like melee weapons were proving to be difficult beat.  
  
"Maurice, we might need more than just two suits to beat this guy..." Fred said worriedly.  
-----------------------------------  
Unfortunately, there were none available. Captain Karl was still busy trying to take down the Dom that had earlier come from nowhere, and he was now pretty much alone. The Dom's last attack had chopped of the legs of the remaining guerilla Zaku, and Dave's remaining Type 61s were simply useless against the speedy new unit, despite all their attempts to help.  
  
"Are you alright?" Sylvie asked as she opened the Zaku's cockpit. Inside, a young lady with long brown hair moaned angrily as she tried to get herself up. Somehow, she seemed very familiar to Sylvie...  
  
"Don't... don't mind me..." Cynthia said in a pained voice. She had been injured some, but not much, "What about YOU?"   
  
Sylvie felt some more tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them away, "I'll be alright when we get that murderer," Sylvie said as she pointed to the Dom, just in time to see it slice another Type 61 in half.  
-----------------------------------  
"ATKINS!" Dave screamed as his wingman was sliced in half by the Dom. He angrily ordered his gunner to fire at the Dom again, only to miss, "Damn it gunner! Give me the controls..."   
  
"Yes sir..." the gunner nervously replied.   
  
Dave adjusted the aim of the Type 61 a little just as the Dom began to duel with Karl's GM. It was maneuvering like mad, but he was bent on revenge, and he was beginning to have a feel for his enemy. The Dom strafed to the right again, and he adjusted the aim a little more. A second later the loading of the Type 61's next batch of shells was completed, and if his instincts were right...  
  
Karl fired off another burst at the Dom as it tried to charge him. It strafed again to evade, but this time a pair of 150mm shells finally hit it, on its right foot, and the Dom toppled on the ground. Karl fired one more burst to finish it off, finally avenging his comrades.  
  
"Alright!" Dave screamed as he saw the Dom cook off. "We finished the guy off! But we still have a few problems. MSMs are on the beach according to Sergeant Chan."  
  
"Alright, let's go," Karl said as his GM began to make a dash for the beach, followed by the three surviving Type 61s.   
  
As they left, Sylvie looked back at the burnt out wreck that was her Type 74. Yeah, she thought, we got that guy alright, but not soon enough, not soon enough...  
------------------------------------  
"Looks like this is it..." Col. Patterson said quietly. The Sierra Madre had been hit by a torpedo and two missiles, and was now almost immobile and incapable of launching aircraft. The Veneto was better off, but just barely with one torpedo hit. And the battle going on below was just about to finish its course...  
-----------------------------------  
Captain Lars kept firing at the Acguy even as it evaded his shots. It was too fast, but he didn't care anymore. He was outnumbered, outgunned and determined to take as many of them to hell with him. The Acguy stopped for a moment allowing him to shoot at it, but it evaded again and he missed. Suddenly, its wingman Gog smashed into his suit and began to swing its arms right at him.  
  
"Take this!" he screamed as he aimed the torpedo gun right at its face. But then the no ammo indicator began to blip inside his suit, and he could only watch as the Gog started to rip his suit to shreds...  
-----------------------------------  
"They have got that enemy MSM," Dirk said as his sonar equipment registered a reactor explosion, "Shall we finish off the carrier?"  
  
"Alright, tubes 1 to 6, fire!" the skipper ordered.  
-----------------------------------  
"Six torpedo wakes, heading right at us..." a lookout reported in a resigned tone.  
  
"Well, it's been a pleasure Sean..." General McCampbell said.  
-------------------------------------  
"Sir, torpedoes going for the Sierra Madre!" the lead sonar man aboard the Veneto reported.  
  
"Engineering, what's the best speed we can do?" the Captain asked.  
  
"Thirty four knots, give or take..."  
  
"Alright, full speed ahead! Put us between the Sierra Madre and the torpedoes!"  
--------------------------------------   
"What the hell? Veneto what are you doing?!" General McCampbell asked as he saw the cruiser start interposing itself between the Sierra Madre and the torpedoes.  
  
"Good luck Sierra Madre..." was the only reply.  
  
Suddenly, six huge plumes of water appeared on the Veneto side. An instant later the cruiser disappeared in a blinding flash...  
  
"I'm afraid that they probably have just died in vain..." Sean said grimly. Alone, the Sierra Madre was pretty much helpless against two enemy submarines...  
  
"Sir, two MSMs are almost on top of us..." the sonar chief reported, "I think... what the?!"  
  
Suddenly, two rockets flew right over the Sierra Madre. But these were not anti-ship missiles. They were ASROCs. Anti-Submarine Rockets, half torpedo, half rocket, it was used to attack enemy submarines from longer ranges. The rockets burned out right over the enemy MSMs and splashed into the water. The sonar display soon showed to bright green lines indicating two torpedoes in the water, heading right for the MSMs. Both hit.  
  
"Hot damn! One enemy MSM is down, another is damaged! It has to be..." the chief said.  
  
"This is Major Alfonso of the Skate! Ready to do some serious hunting!"  
--------------------------------------------  
"Sir... classify new contact as Type 65 destroyer... my God, it's number 3! THE K2!" Dirk reported.  
  
"Kraken Killer..." Skipper Mathew Conrad said quietly. "Alright, let's get her first before finishing off the carrier!"  
  
"Sir, torpedo tubes have not yet finished reloading!" the XO said.  
  
"But we may be able to distract them a bit, let's do it!"  
-------------------------------------------  
"Two contacts, captured M class sub number 6 Iberia and Yukon class submarine no. 17. The Kamchatka..." JP said quietly. "It's gonna be serious sir..."  
  
"It always is Magic, it always is..." Major Alfonso replied. "Let's take the Iberia first."  
--------------------------------------------  
"Tubes 4 to 8, fire!" Col. Ivanovich ordered. Five torpedoes were launched out of the monster-like form of the submarine, all heading straight for the Skate.  
  
But the Skate fired a torpedo at the Iberia herself, and Yevgeni was forced to cut the control wires to evade. Both ships launched decoys, and all six torpedoes fired by both sides ended up going after the decoys. Yevgeni muttered a curse.  
  
"Alright, we'll try again... get ready to fire tubes 1 to 3..."  
  
"SIR!" the lead sonar man screamed, "New sonar contact, right behind us!"  
-------------------------------------  
"Alright," Ken Mason said as the final computations on the fire control computer were made, "Tubes 1 to 6, FIRE!"  
  
The U-35 had been fortunate to survive the torpedo that had hit it earlier, and now they were going to get back at that Zeon ******. Six torpedoes ejected themselves from the U-35's hull and headed straight for the Iberia.  
----------------------------------  
"Lucky break..." Magic said as he saw the six torpedoes heading for the Iberia.   
  
"Let's make sure, fire tube 5!" the Major ordered.  
  
"Done sir! It's heading straight and level, let's get the Kamchatka now..."  
----------------------------------  
"Damn it..." Conrad said angrily as all seven torpedoes closed on the Iberia. A moment later a bright green blotch appeared on the sonar display, and that was that.  
  
"Tubes 1 and 2 are ready sir!" the XO reported.  
  
"Tube 1, go for the Kraken Killer. Tube two, sink that U class," Mathew ordered.  
------------------------------------  
"Oh ****! Torpedo in the water!" the junior sonarman screamed as a torpedo closed on them. Now they were really in trouble. The U-35 had lost almost all of its maneuverability, and with a torpedo going for them, it was pretty much over...  
  
"SURFACE!" Skipper Ken Mason ordered.  
  
"Sir?" the XO asked.  
  
"Better swimming than dead XO..."  
------------------------------------  
"Fire tube 6, snapshot!" Major Alfonso ordered, "Prepare for radical maneuvering!"  
  
"Sir! Belay that order! She's not evading!"  
  
"What?! Is she trying to die or something?" the Major asked.  
  
"Taking both of us with her. She's not cutting the control wires!"  
  
"****! What do we do?!"  
  
"I don't know... sixty seconds to impact!"  
  
"Sir! Torpedo wake bearing 113!" a lookout reported.  
-----------------------------------  
"If we die, we die for a good cause," Col. Mathew told his worried crew. It was his last trump. Anything else meant death without any retribution.  
  
"Torpedo two has hit the enemy sub!"  
---------------------------------  
"FLOODING! FLOODING!" the chief engineer reported as an explosion jolted the sub just as it broke to the surface.  
  
"All hands, abandon ship!" Ken Mason ordered as the crew began to scramble out of the hatches.  
----------------------------------  
"One down, one to go..." Magic said quietly. The torpedo wake was getting closer and closer...  
  
"Any ideas Magic?" the Major asked.  
  
"No... not yet..." he'd missed her a lot... but now...  
  
"Damn it, we can't outrun it, we can't outmaneuver it, we can't shoot it..."  
  
"Wait a minute... sir, the point defense gun!" John said in a moment of triumph.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?!" the Major demanded.  
  
"Sir, the anti-aircraft gun! Tell the crew to fire manually at the torpedo's wake!"  
  
"Will it work?" the XO asked.  
  
"If you can see it, you can shoot it," JP advised.  
  
"Only one way to find out..." the Major said as he contacted the gun crew.  
  
Outside, the six-barreled point defense/anti-aircraft gun aimed itself at the incoming torpedo. Originally designed to shoot down missiles and aircraft, it was now being used in a role it has not been used in since the Second World War. The crew aimed at the incoming torpedo and fired, causing several plumes of water to appear in front of the torpedo. The first burst missed, as did the second, but then one shot in the third volley hit the torpedo, right on the fuel tank. The torpedo exploded just 40 yards from the Skate.  
-------------------------------------  
"That's a new one on me..." Dirk said as he heard the torpedo explode from the Skate's guns.   
  
"It's alright Dirk, and I'm sorry..."  
------------------------------------  
"HIT!" Magic announced as the screen blossomed for one last time, "Score that one for the good guys!"  
  
"Alright! But we still have much to do. Start rescuing survivors immediately!"  
  
"What about that Acguy?" the XO asked.  
  
"Looks like he's giving up. Wise decision," JP explained, as he pointed to the sky. The reinforcing planes had finally arrived.  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
-----------------------------------  
Fighter pilots make headlines, bomber pilots make HISTORY! 


	14. Chapter 14: Partners

Chapter 14: Partners  
  
Captain Yoko Nagato moaned as she gingerly held her right leg. She'd broken it after jumping out of her Zugok, and she couldn't move much without hurting herself further. A great way to end my career... she thought sadly. It was an awful shame to go this way, and to top it off she wasn't able to get the guy who got Keith. She sighed, Keith had been a good kid, and she wanted to avenge him somehow. But she also couldn't be taken alive. It was part of her job and she had prepared for this, but still...  
  
"Hand up miss," Juan said as he neared Yoko, side arm drawn. He was surprised that the pilot had been a woman, and he wasn't exactly sure how to react...  
  
Yoko eyed the enemy pilot for a moment. A young man of Spanish origin. His insignia denoted that he was a Corporal. And a pilot... the pilot of that thing that got Keith... she felt an uncontrollable rage start filling her heart...  
  
"Whoa... don't move or I'll shoot..." Juan said nervously as she started to motioned her hands towards her pistol.  
  
"Rookie, I'm telling you now. You're going to have to shoot me or I'll shoot you. Get ready to die!" she screamed as she pulled her pistol out of its holster.  
  
Juan was surprised and fired instinctively. His aim was bad, but it was enough. She was hit in the right shoulder and she fell on the ground, moaning from the pain. She started to try to pick up the gun with her left hand, but Juan quickly kicked the gun away.  
  
"Damn it... kill me already... I'm not going to be a prisoner..." she moaned defiantly.  
  
"We don't shoot prisoners. Come on, enough. Just give up peacefully. Look, the two remaining MSMs are giving up already..." Juan encouraged as he set his pistol down to help her.  
  
Yoko felt like kicking him away, but the pain of her injuries were becoming too great. How embarrassing, she thought angrily, that the guy who beat her and killed her wingman was actually HELPING her now... But somehow, deep inside her, he reminded her of something. Maybe it was herself, in what seemed to be a very long time ago... but he was still the one who got Keith. And she always avenged all her dead comrades. ALWAYS.  
  
"Alright, now sit still. The medics ought to be here in a few minutes, I hope..."  
  
She just barely grunted in agreement. Despite all the training, her will to live had now reasserted itself, and she didn't want to die on this beach. Not while she still had unfinished business.  
------------------------------------------  
"Alright you two. Come out real nice and easy..." Fred said as he closed on the two remaining MSMs. The two pilots were giving up, and that was smart of them he reflected. Suddenly, both of them jumped out of their MSMs and began to run away, VERY quickly.  
  
"Ummmmm.... why are they..." Maurice started.  
  
"OH ****!"   
------------------------------------------  
Juan was completely shocked when he heard two huge explosions right behind him. He instinctively covered the enemy MSM pilot to protect her from the blast, only to be rewarded by a kick to the stomach.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" she screamed angrily, "Get off me!"  
  
"Alright, alright..." Juan said as he stood up uneasily. Even if she was injured, she had one hell of a kick, he reflected, "I was only trying..."  
  
"Stop helping me already..." Yoko said in an annoyed tone.  
  
"I'm sorry but I can't. I was raised to be nice to women so..."  
  
"So you're doing this because I'm a WOMAN?! Is that it?!" she replied angrily, her pride already hurt beyond repair.  
  
"Well, not exactly..."  
  
"Then why?!"  
  
"Because you've been injured. And, well... I don't think that I could consider you as a soldier, or as an enemy for that matter, when you're down..."  
  
"That'll get you killed someday rookie," she advised.  
  
"Maybe, but I'm still alive aren't I?"  
  
"What's your name?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Juan Ignacio."  
  
"Juan, you may have saved me today, but someday, I'll avenge my wingman by finding you and killing you. So if you want to change your mind about shooting, you'd better do it now."  
  
All Juan could do was to sigh, to which Yoko replied to with a scowl.  
----------------------------------------  
That was close... Very close. VERY VERY CLOSE! Fred thought as he observed the wreckage of the two MSMs just a few meters in front of him. Damn them, he thought, looking at the two Zeon pilots now raising their hand up to surrender. They had destroyed their gear with explosive charges to make sure the Federation was unable to get any data from them, and also maybe to kill a few more Federation troops. He REALLY wanted to break their legs off or something, but he knew he'd had done the same if the positions were reversed.  
  
"Fred, you ok?" Maurice asked.  
  
"Yeah, how about you?"  
  
"Remind me to let somebody else apprehend prisoners..."  
------------------------------------------  
By sunset, the Skate had managed to rescue every living person they could find in the water. Including a very lucky enemy MSM pilot, six crew from the Veneto, and all but twelve crewmen from the U 35. A disaster, JP reflected as he watched the setting sun, but not a catastrophe. If there was any real difference, that is...   
  
"Good job today, 2nd Lieutenant John Paul Recto," Major Alfonso said quietly as he joined John.  
  
"Sir?" JP asked, surprised at his promotion.  
  
"John, it's been a long time coming, and you deserve it."  
  
"I still have problems with authority sir, are you sure..."  
  
"Yes JP. Look, the Skate is going to spend the rest of the war tied up in port. Your skills could prove very useful to a lot of skippers out there and the rank gives you more of an authority to speak out. In fact..." the Major said as he pulled out a sheet, "I've already recommended you for space duty..."  
  
"Space? I've never been to space sir..." John said worriedly.  
  
"Magic, I know you. You could do it, trust me. You know radar, you know how they think. You'll find those Zeon *******s and hunt them down, I'm sure."  
  
"Very well then sir, I won't disappoint you. But I would like to go onshore and..."  
  
"Actually, you ARE supposed to go onshore tonight and meet your new crewmates. But I think I could send you earlier and meet your old..."  
  
"Erghh... let's keep that between ourselves skipper," he replied, blushing lightly, "And sir, good luck, it's been a pleasure to be under your command."  
  
"You too JP. You'll need it more than I do."  
---------------------------------------------  
She really had to stop crying, Sylvie reflected. But then after every few minutes or so it'd hit her again, and she'd start sobbing again. For eight long months she'd worked with Earl and Pat, and she'd grown to like both of them, even that annoying Pat. But they were both dead now, and once again she felt more tears roll down her cheeks.  
  
"Sylvie, are you alright?" Max asked in a quiet tone. Sylvie looked at him, his eyes were still cold as usual, but there was a spark of compassion there too. Not much, but it was still a small comfort to her.   
  
"Don't worry, I'll be alright in a few days... you know me, I'm always like this..."  
  
"Well I might have something to make you even more miserable..." Max said as he handed her a report.  
  
Sylvie sighed as she read the report. Of all the people to replace Earl with, it had to be him...  
------------------------------------------------  
"Ummm... is there a Cynthia Patterson here?" John asked a grizzled old guerilla soldier who was smoking his cigarette.  
  
"You here to meet the commander? What for?" the man asked in a suspicious tone.  
  
"I'm an... ergh... old friend,"   
  
"Well, I suppose it's ok. She's in the third tent."  
  
"Thank you sir," John replied as he started walking towards the tent. He was feeling rather uneasy. Firstly because he hadn't set foot on his homeland for quite some time, but also because he was worried that she might...  
  
A slender figure suddenly stepped out of the tent. She looked a little tired from the battle earlier, but it was her alright.  
  
"John? Is that really you?" Cynthia said as she saw him standing just outside her tent. She had always hoped that he had somehow survived the disasters at Hawaii and the Pacific, and now here he was, just like that. She suddenly felt herself moving towards him, to which he replied by hugging her as tight as he could.  
  
"So you haven't forgotten me Cynthia... I was worried that..."  
  
"We'd never see each other again. I... I really thought I'd never see you again. How the hell did you manage to get out of Hawaii alive?" she asked.  
  
"And how the hell did you get yourself to command a guerilla outfit?" he replied with a smile. They both laughed. They needed it. "Well, actually, since you asked first, I was lucky. VERY lucky. And I had good ears..."  
  
"I always thought that your Chopin-loving ears were useful for something," Cynthia replied, her fatigue and depression already gone, "Well, as for me though, I guess the soldier's blood in me finally came out..."  
  
John nodded. Both of Sylvie's parents came from military families. Her mom had died several years ago, leaving the lonely girl pretty much alone while her father was away. Except for him and a few friends she had around her home near the Philippine University in Manila that is. But it seemed to him that she'd grown up quite a bit since he'd last met her. She might only be 17, he reflected, but war had a way of maturing individuals beyond their years...  
  
Cynthia read his eyes and smiled. "You seem to have grown up quite a bit too John. A Second Lieutenant at twenty one years of age? Not bad..."  
  
"Well, I guess I've earned it although my superiors are at the point of throwing me out of the military... hehe, remember our old teacher Mr. Santiago who..."  
  
"Yeah, you always kept baffling him with your high grade scores even though you'd make a mess of his class. I thought that he'd have a heart attack when he gave you that A..."  
  
"Guess I'm just like that..." he replied with a grin.  
  
"Cynthia, is that you?" a new voice suddenly asked from behind John. JP turned, it was Colonel Patterson.  
  
"Father?" Cynthia asked before running towards him and giving him a hug. Her father and her... lover? All on the same day. She felt that she was the luckiest girl on Earth.  
  
Father? John thought. OH, so that's why his name sounded so familiar... He had never met Cynthia's father before.  
  
"Cynthia, I missed you... I was so worried when Zeon overran the Philippines and I didn't know what..." the Colonel blurted, just barely able to contain his tears.  
  
"Don't worry dad, I've been doing fine these pass few months. Hell, Zeon forces here are just a small bunch of soldiers here for the hospitality. Zeon has hardly occupied this country. But the guy commanding this base though, that was one real ******* who really needed to be blown away..."  
  
"Don't worry, we found him in the command bunker. What's left of him that is. But more to the point, what the hell are you doing in a guerilla outfit!?"  
  
"With both sides of the family in the military, what do you think I would have done?" she asked.  
  
"How about listen to me and stay put?" the Colonel replied, with the authority of a reprimanding father.  
  
"Dad, I know you want to keep me safe, but I've grown up quite a bit. You haven't exactly been around all the time to see me you know..." she said with a slight touch of resentment.  
  
"I'm sorry Cynthia, it's just that..."  
  
"I understand dad. Mom did too. She always understood, even in her last days... she loved to wait for you, and loved it even better when you were home. So did I, so don't blame yourself alright? I've grown up on my own and learned..."  
  
"To have a boyfriend without telling me," Sean told his daughter with a slight, though somewhat disapproving grin.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't exactly erghh... call him my boyfriend but his IS my best friend since we were kids and..."  
  
"Don't worry too Cynthia, I understand. Especially when it comes to these things. I ought to know considering how your mother and I met. Just remember you're 17 and..."  
  
"Still too young for that sort of thing, yes dad."  
  
"But don't worry about him. He might not have told you yet, but he's quite famous in the Pacific fleet, and coincidentally he's going to work for me for the rest of the war..." Not to mention that he'd already saved my life, the Colonel thought, "You two better spend some more time together, we'll do our catching up later."  
  
Cynthia nodded sadly. She wished that her father would stay, but she knew that both John and him were soldiers now, and they had their duty. "Thanks dad," she said before kissing her father on the cheek. She then turned and went back to a now very nervous John.  
  
Sean sighed. It was one of the problems of having a daughter. Someday they'd meet somebody and suddenly... But he understood. However, he still had a few reservations about Magic. He was good at sea, but was he really that good, even in space?  
-----------------------------------------  
"So, how's the prisoner?" Juan asked Fred as he came back from the casualty station.  
  
"She'll live. They still have to keep her sedated though, but not a bad job ace," he replied with a wink.  
  
"Ace?"  
  
"Five kills Juan Ignacio, that makes you an ace. Don't let it go to your head though," Fred warned.  
  
"Yes Sarge, I'll try to remember that."  
--------------------------------  
"How many days will it take?" General Alexander Dolvich asked as the word of the victory came through.  
  
"They'll be here by the 25th. The Spruance and her escorts will launch on the 29th or the 30th depending on how long it would take to finish building the ace-type GMs," an aide reported.  
  
"Well, that may prove to be a decisive factor..." a new voice suddenly said. Alexander turned, it was his immediate commanding officer, Lieutenant General Nicolo Zander.  
  
"Well yes sir, but I still have my doubts about this operation..."  
  
"Just do as you are ordered General Dolvich. Side 2 is a very important piece of real estate, close to Granada and the Zeon homelands. Your fleet can surely handle the enemy stationed there. But in any case, Fire Base Malta must remain operational."  
  
Fire Base Malta was the official name of a ramshackle Federation base built just outside of Side 2 from derelict colony parts. It mission: to prevent any incursion from the Zeon forces in Granada and in Side 2 itself. Being within striking range of a number of Zeon supply routes from Granada to the main bases at Solomon and A Bou Qu, it was essential to keep it operational, especially with the main space offensive only weeks away, Operation Star One.  
  
But Dolvich still had his doubts. The last reports indicated that the Zeon fleet at Side 2 had only 1 Tibe and 4 Musais. The fleet at Malta was composed of a Magellan and four Salamis, along with a Colombus class carrier. More than enough to handle the forces there. Why was he being sent there with his new fleet? The new fleet he would command, now known as the 17th Independent Flotilla, was composed of no less than 8 cruisers and 2 battleships. A bit of an overkill for a mere 5 Zeon ships, even with MS. Something told him that they weren't being told the whole truth.  
------------------------------------  
"And finally, it seems that our reserve base at Palawan had been destroyed sir, and most of the forces from Odessa will be forced to head for Ginias' base in East Asia." Cecilia Irene* concluded. She was Giren's most loyal aide, and was the source of most of his briefings. That and a few "other" things.  
  
"What about the Nagato's SpecOps team?" Giren asked as he absorbed all the information. The true leader of Zeon, his phenomenal IQ enabled him to reel together vast amounts of data and statistics that were essential to the lives, and deaths, of Zeon's sons and daughters. This briefing was no different.  
  
"Destroyed. There is nothing else to report sir." Cecilia replied. It was a waste, she reflected. Nagato was one of the best. Perhaps the only one better may be Steiner.  
  
"Very well, what happens to those troops are no longer of any consequence. We must though, prepare for the enemy space offensive that is sure to follow. What is the status of the fleet at Side 2?"  
  
"Sir, the 4th Squadron will be fully deployed soon, by the first week of December. They will be able to attack the Federation base there once they arrive. And we have established the facilities as you have ordered."  
  
"Good. Very well, show me the dispositions of the fleets at Solomon, A Bou Qu and the ships harassing the Federation fleet by 0700 hours tomorrow. I'll see you then."  
  
Cecilia nodded and quickly stepped out of his office. The data would take some time, but she was a professional staff officer who did this for a living. The dispositions at Solomon and A Bou Qu would be easy, all she had to do was to call General Dozul, although she had heard that his loyal ace Shin Matsunaga may be recalled to Side 3 soon. The fleets harassing the Fed fleet though, would be harder. Communications were poor, and in fact all she was sure of is that one of their aces, whose name escapes her at the moment, is stationed there.   
  
However, what really confused her was the dispositions at Side 2. They appeared a little excessive. She knew most of Giren's secrets, but was there more to it? She shook her head. It was not her place to ask. Despite of how he and she... She shook her head again. But the facilities he ordered built there kept bugging her mind...  
-----------------------------------  
It is now November of UC 0079. The great sideshow of the One Year War is about to begin.   
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
  
*She is the red headed "aide" always seen with Giren in Blood of Zeon. Thanks to the GML for the info. And if you've seen some of the Giren's Greed animation(particularly the Zeon total victory clip), you'd probably notice that she is probably a lot more than she seems. 


	15. Chapter 15: Transition

Chapter 15: Transition  
  
"Hey Sylvie, you're Sylvie, right?" JP asked as he found a female officer sitting quietly under the shade of one of the GMs.  
  
Sylvie nodded as she blinked her eyes hard. There were still a few tears in them, and she didn't want her new teammate to see them. She didn't have time for grief, she'd learned that lesson the hard way in the Ruum. But still, it was hard... it was hard because she was human, wasn't she? And she'd still feel it no matter how much she tried to ignore it...  
  
"You don't have to try to hide it, Sylvie, it's alright... I do understa..." JP started.  
  
"Enough, we've got work to do... and don't forget to give me the proper respect by calling me MAM!" Sylvie growled angrily. And COULD you understand?  
  
"Yes mam," he replied.  
  
"I see you two are getting along well," Sergeant Fred Chan said as he joined them.  
  
Sylvie gave him the coldest gaze she could muster, to which Fred could only chuckle lightly. "What's so funny?!" she screamed.  
  
"Well actually it reminds me of you and..." Fred started before realizing his mistake, "Oh, sorry Sylvie..."  
  
"He might even be worse..." she muttered as she tried to keep herself from crying.  
  
"I... " JP started.  
  
"Lay off her a while," Fred whispered to John as he dragged him away, "She's... well, ****, the most kind hearted of all of us and..."  
  
"The most sensitive, making it harder on her than anyone else, yeah... I noticed," JP finished for him, "But... I don't think leaving her alone will help much."  
  
"Trust me sir."   
  
"Cut out that sir crap, I've never has much respect for authority you know..."  
  
"Yes sir."  
----------------------------  
It was hard to watch it, but he couldn't do anything. Nothing that wouldn't cause more pain later.  
  
"Why don't you go and help her out Max, you're her friend, right?" Maurice asked rather disapprovingly.  
  
"I won't be able to help her Maurice, trust me..."  
  
"Why?"  
----------------------------   
Sylvie smiled lightly, though painfully, as she saw Max and Maurice start chatting together. At least, despite all the tragedy going around them... there were those two. Even if...   
-----------------------------------  
"So do you understand now?" Max asked.  
  
"Yeah," Maurice replied with a slight smile, "I guess so... but you haven't changed at all..."  
-----------------------------------  
Sylvie took a long deep breath before standing up and wiping away the last of her tears. "Sorry guys..." she whispered as she looked at Pat and Earl's graves, "I'll miss you, but I still have a lot of things to do... But I promise, I'll never forget you." She started to walk towards John who was waiting nearby.  
  
"I apologize for the way I've been trea..." JP started.  
  
"It's alright now, forget about it. Right now I'm more interested about you, Sergeant," Sylvie asked.  
  
"Actually, I'm a 2nd Lieutenant now, but I don't mind..." JP replied rather sheepishly," Anyway, my full name is John Paul Recto. Call me JP or Magic as you please. Been on Earth all my life, right here in the Philippines. But I AM a radarman and sonarman first class."  
  
"And you can sniff out those Zeon boys, right?" Sylvie asked, though with a slight bit of doubt.  
  
"Probably, space isn't that different from undersea environments. In fact I think they have the same school for sub and space ship officers. Both need mastery of the 3D environment," Magic answered.  
  
"We'll see..." Sylvie said as she quickly scanned his face. It was a kind one, she realized for the first time. But also mature, but it was still hidden under the brashness of youth. "Anyway, since we're going to be working together, I'm Sylvie Gressier. Just call me Sylvie and forget about the mam crap. I'm also not so touchy about rank," JP's eyebrows then went up a notch, "But I DO care about respect, so give it to me. And don't worry about space, my home is in Revo of Side 6, and I can teach you the works."  
  
"Thanks, Sylvie."  
  
"And as for the others..."  
  
"Actually, I've met them all. You're the only one I was waiting for..."  
  
"Really?" Sylvie asked, surprised, "Have I been out that..."  
  
"Yeah, you were."  
------------------------------------  
"And you had better make sure you write, okay Dad?" Cynthia concluded.  
  
"Yes... I will, I promise...." Colonel Patterson replied rather weakly. Cynthia had taken after her mother, who had a certain way of bullying him around... But he had to keep his promises. One of the duties as a father. Even if that included keeping her... "friend" in one piece without being nepotistic...  
  
"But don't worry Dad," Cynthia said as she read her father's face," If JP misbehaves, I won't mind at all if you beat him up a little..."  
  
"I don't haze my subordinates."  
  
"You might actually want to start with him..." Cynthia replied with a wide grin on her face," In fact, I'm really surprised that his former superiors hadn't gotten around to arranging some sort of accident for him..."  
  
"You don't really mean that, do you?"  
  
"Of course not Dad," Cynthia replied with a gleam in her eye, "Of course not." She then quickly kissed him in the cheek and hugged him tightly. She had been used to these partings. But there was another man who she still had to see off...  
-------------------------------------------  
She certainly looked magnificent, General Alexander Dolvich thought as he surveyed his fleet's newest ship, now floating in Jaburo's underground dock. She was the Magellan-class Battleship Raymond Spruance, though "Improved Magellan" may be a better term to describe it. The Vinison Project had provided the Federation with ships that had MS-carrying capacity, but at the cost of loss of armaments as cannons and missile launchers were replaced by hangars capable of carrying limited numbers of Mobile Suits.   
  
But the Spruance was different. She was nearly 40% larger than her predecessors, giving the ship enough room for up to six mobile suits without any real loss in armament at all. In fact, the Spruance packed even more firepower than an ordinary Magellan as the ship was now equipped with two, very powerful cannons that were normally equipped in Pegasus class ships in place of her two side turrets. One hit from these cannons could kill a Musai outright, or even a Tibe, making her almost a match for any Zeon ship, even a Gwajin. Additional AA and missile batteries gave the ship good close range capabilities against MS, and best of all she had a huge cruising range and a slightly faster speed thanks to a better reactor. She would be the core of his fleet's mobile reserve, and he was damn glad to have this ship.  
  
Some distance away from the Spruance were the other two ships of his reserve. The Salamis class cruisers Gloucester and Anzio. Like the Spruance, they were larger than their other sisters and had their reactors upgraded, allowing it to carry up to three MS, cruise faster and at longer ranges, and also have the two forward side turrets replaced by Magellan type-turrets with twin mega particle guns. The two ships were really "Pocket Battleships" instead of cruisers. Too bad, he thought, that he could only have two of them.   
  
Most of his fleet was already in space, docked at Luna 2. It was composed of the Amerigo and 6 Salamis, but they were either old ones or those built in the Vinison plan, inferior to Zeon units. Worse, his newest MS weren't ready yet. The new GM Sniper Custom was a wonderful unit, good enough to match a Gundam, but the one assigned for his fleet was still unfinished. And there was also that problem of a couple of Zeon Special Forces groups occasionally sneaking into Jaburo. He feared a drop operation may start soon, but Jaburo was supposedly impregnable. Right... he thought. Just like California.  
  
"So, who will replace Lars?" General Nicolo asked as he joined Dolvich.  
  
"Karl Grunther sir, he's an former member of the 71st batta..."  
  
"Oh, he's from Earth, good," Nicolo said as he flicked through the files, "He ought to do well..."  
  
Dolvich frowned, but did not respond. There WERE arrogant elitist in the EF, and Nicolo was one of them. Though Dolvich may be an Earthnoid, he had not one racist bone in him, and he just detested men like Nicolo. Unfortunately, the reverse also seemed true.  
----------------------------------------  
He'd been in the military a long time, but he'd never fought in space, Karl Grunther thought as he read his reassignment orders. Well, at least he now had units that were up to par with Zeon's, or so they say... Not that he had any choice. He didn't really have anything left now. All he could do now was to just try to live through this war, and wish her luck. But he still missed her.  
  
"Captain, the whole company is here," Sergeant Fred Chan declared as he stood at attention. Behind him, 3 men and 2 women were also at attenton, ready for the new commanding officer's customary introductory speech. With a slight bit more enthusiasm than the last time.  
  
"Alright, I believe you all know me now. And I am not a hard officer to work for. However, you WILL follow my orders. But I do know that I'm not as experienced in space and we ARE going there soon, so if you have anything important that you believe may be helpful, tell me and I will listen."  
  
Well, Sylvie thought, at least he really is better than the now fishfood Lars at the moment.  
  
"But you'll have to do it in a hurry. We are going to leave on the 30th and head to Side 2. We'll receive further orders then."  
  
Side 2? Sylvie thought as she glanced at Max, of all the places...  
  
"However, due to your combat record, we'll be equipped with more advanced space-type GMs and operate off a new Magellan class ship. They have high expectations for us, so we'd all better do well. Now, any questions?"  
  
"When do we leave, sir?" Max suddenly asked, surprising Sylvie.  
  
"The 30th. Any problems Lieutenant Harper?"  
  
"None at all sir," he replied quietly.  
  
"Very well then, get your things in order. We leave for Jaburo at 1900 hours tonight. Dismissed!"  
-----------------------------------------  
"Well Karl, looks like this is it..." Dave said as he shook Karl's hand once the briefing had ended. Karl had saved him and his company countless times, and he was going to miss his fellow Captain.  
  
"Don't worry Dave, we'll see each other again, won't we?" Karl replied with a grin.  
  
"Yeah, whenever you pass by Torrington, don't forget to say hi," Dave said as he showed him a picture of the Torrington base. He was getting reassigned there as a training instructor.  
  
"No problem, just don't stepped on by an enemy MS, alright?*"   
  
"Of course I won't."  
-----------------------------------------  
"You're going tonight John?" Cynthia asked rather disappointedly.  
  
"Yeah, I am... Going to earn my pay I guess..." JP replied rather shyly.  
  
"Well... um... you will keep your promises, right?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I will, don't worry, alright?" JP replied with a smile.  
  
"Please... I don't want to lose you... You've been my best friend, brother, and even a second father, all in one... and someday, maybe if..." she started as she began to move closer to him...  
  
JP held her arms and pulled her closer to him. He smiled at her, his gentle brown eyes locked on hers. Cynthia closed her eyes and moved her face closer to his. They kissed, and as they did a few tears flowed from Cynthia's eyes.  
  
"Hey, Cynthia, come on... don't cry. I'm not going to die. I swear, I'll come back to you... As long as I know you're waiting, even if I have to go through the whole Zeon army if I have to, I'll be back."  
  
"Yeah... but... to tell you the truth, I'm not used to having you not around... I just..."   
  
John gently wiped away her tears and held her cheek. "This isn't like you Cynthia... you're the type who's always waiting," he said quietly.  
  
"I know but... I've never really realized that I wasn't really waiting... That I had already found someone," she looked away, staring at nothing, "Someone who was always just beside me. Who was there for me... And when he was gone for a while..." she looked straight into JP's eyes, "John, I..." Cynthia said before stopping herself. But everything she was feeling was showing on her face.  
  
"I know that you do love me Cynthia..." JP finished for her before kissing her again, "And I feel the same way. So I won't make you wait for long. I promise," he finished solemnly.  
  
"Thank you."  
---------------------------------------------  
The Midea transport left at exactly 1900 hours. Cynthia Patterson watched it as it left carrying the two people dearest in her life. Their fates now lay in the stars above. If everything went well in Jaburo.  
----------------------------------------------  
Nov. 24, UC 0079- Somewhere in Brazil  
  
"This is Snoop 1. I may have just found something," an Acguy pilot said as he ran his Mobile Suit's arms along a crack in the rocky river shore. It was straight, lined with steel, and definitely manmade. And only a short distance from the Federal Forces Headquarters, Jaburo.  
---------------------------------------------  
*No, he isn't the poor Type 61 who gets stepped on by a Dom in Rise from the Ashes :D:D 


	16. Chapter 16: Under the Red One's Shadow

Sorry, been rather late in posting. Sorry if anybody's been waiting for too long ^_^;;;  
  
Chapter 16: Under the Red One's Shadow  
  
Sylvie was the first off the plane. The journey was uneventful, except for some turbulence that still made her a little dizzy. But not dizzy enough not to marvel at the Federation's HQ. Their landing strip had been impressive enough, a huge camouflaged dock that opened up right in the middle of the jungle, but the interior was even more impressive. It was composed of huge caverns, which protected the many essential buildings necessary for continuing the Federation's war effort. She'd been to Luna 2, but Jaburo seemed to dwarf even that. Like many first comers to this place, Jaburo gave Sylvie the initial impression of an impregnable fortress, the supreme manifestation of the Federation's will to resist Zeon's aggression.  
  
"Looks impressive, huh?" Sergeant Fred Chan asked, "I was like that when I was here the first time. The impression generally gets worse when you meet the personnel..."  
  
"But still..." JP said as he looked around, "Wow..."   
  
"You the 44th?" a rather sloppy looking Lieutenant asked the group.  
  
"Yes," the Captain answered for all of them, "So where do we go?"  
  
"Get on the jeeps, we'll take you there," the Lieutenant replied dryly. Feh, he thought, more lambs to the slaughter...  
-------------------------------  
It was getting REALLY embarrassing, Sylvie thought, to be with Juan and JP. Both were staring out of the jeeps and acting like kids being brought to a new theme park or something, marveling at the rows and rows of military equipment passing by them ranging from old Fanfans to GMs. Max was observing the gear too, but at least he was a lot more reserved and calculating.  
  
"Wow! Is that our ship?" John said as he pointed to a huge green ship, "I hear we have a new type of battleship."  
  
"No she's a Pegasus-class," the more friendly Sergeant driving the jeep explained, "We're going to be taking another one soon, the White Base."  
  
"Which ship is ours anyway?" Sylvie asked. The White Base was almost a legendary ship to her now, but she would rather see her new ship.  
  
The Sergeant then pointed to one of the Magellans floating in Jaburo's underground dry-docks. What looked like a Magellan, that is. It seemed much larger than Sylvie's old ship, Amerigo. With better guns too. "That's the Spruance. They say she's a Magellan but the chief engineer keeps bragging that it's a lot more than that."  
  
"Is that the new Sniper type?" Max asked as he pointed to one of the GMs near the dock. It wasn't completed yet, but it definitely looked different compared to the ordinary GMs.  
  
"Erghh... I guess," the Sergeant replied. He didn't really do much other than truck personnel around, but he did occasionally overhear the engineers talking, "They call it Guard or Interceptor, but I know it's a high performance type with a big rifle. Still unfinished though."  
  
"Thanks, Sarge," Max said quietly.   
  
"Hey, neat. I think those MS are ours..." Juan said as he pointed at the GMs beside the uncompleted Sniper. They all had "44th" painted in their right shoulders.  
  
"Hmmm... A GM Cannon, a Light Armor Type, two E-types, and... a slightly modified RGM-79," Max recalled, all from memory. Of all the members of the company, Max was the most up to date in terms of learning about new equipment.  
  
"I hear the last one's been modified for an EWAC role..." the Sergeant said.  
  
"Hey... wait a minute!!!" John suddenly said, "There are only FIVE pilots... don't tell me that..."  
  
"I guess so... you are an EWAC operator, aren't you?" Sylvie teased.  
  
"But... but..." John started to mumble comically before Sylvie finally laughed out loud. For the first time she realized, since the two of them had died. Thanks John, she thought.  
----------------------------  
"I am Lieutenant Eric Milton, welcome to the 44th's new home, EFSF Raymond Spruance," a handsome young officer explained as they piled out of their jeeps.   
  
"I am Captain Karl Grunther, are you going to be the replacement pilot for Lars?" the Captain asked.  
  
"Yes sir," he replied with a smile, "I'm taking the EWAC modified GM."  
  
Sylvie nudged John as he breathe a sigh of relief. John was the ship officer type of guy who wanted to avoid MS piloting as much as possible. But whether he was really scared or just trying to be funny was beyond Sylvie's understanding.  
  
"So who is our commanding officer?" Karl asked rather sternly.  
  
"I'll be your immediate superior," Col. Patterson said as he joined the party, "Good to see you again Karl. Alexander Dolvich will be supreme commander of the fleet."  
  
Karl nodded with a smile. Karl had fought under Sean for a long while, and he trusted him as much as the Luna Titanium armor that once protected his GM. "What will be our unit assignments?"  
  
"I'll let Milton explain, so Eric, take over, I have to survey my ship a little more," the Colonel ordered, his eyes gleaming at his beautiful new battleship.  
  
"Yes sir!" Eric replied enthusiastically, "The GM Cannon is for you Captain. I believe artillery is still your forte, sir. Better armor and has a 180mm fixed on the right shoulder."  
  
Karl nodded briefly, "What about the others?"  
  
"Ignacio and Chan will be piloting the E-type GMs. One of the best we've got so far. It has Luna Titanium armor and much of the same operating parameters as a Gundam. We've also managed to equip it with beam spray guns in addition to the 90mm Machine Guns."  
  
Well, Juan thought, that was nice. Luna Titanium had saved his life often enough, but he'd never got to use beam weapons though. Beside him, Fred was also smiling. But Max wasn't. He knew the limitations of the beam spray gun.  
  
"And as for the GM Light Armor..." the Lieutenant started.  
  
"It's mine, right?" Maurice asked.  
  
"Yes, Lieutenant Evans. Most former fighter aces like you are being equipped with these types. Highly maneuverable and has a full powered beam rifle, but..."  
  
"The armor is thinner than a tomato soup can. I know," she replied with a grin. Of all the GM variants being tested out, this particular model had been her favorite even when it was still in the drawing board. She'd even sent a few suggestions to the engineers. But there was still one more... "What about Max?"  
  
"Since he has the highest kill rate among all of you, he is being given a special issue GM Sniper-Type. Maneuver and reactor wise, it's as good as a Gundam, but armor is a little less. also, due to the limited production of this unit we were waiting for the pilot to ask him what weapons should we..."  
  
"Two beam sabers, stored in the forearms, but I don't want them to be fixed. A hard point for a bazooka, and two points for two beam pistols. A GM Ground Type shield, and two precision sniper rifles. One beam, one gunpowder type. And don't bother changing the verniers. The standard configuration is fine with me," Max quickly said. He definitely did his research.   
  
"Ummm... okay..." Eric said as he busily jotted down his specifications. But he was a bit glad. The specs he had requested were relatively easy to find and install. The specs requested by other GM Sniper pilots were a lot more demanding, but they were aces, weren't they?  
  
Sylvie smiled. Max had been one of the proponents of the Federation MS program, which was why he got the job as a GM pilot in the first place. His own custom GM seemed a good enough reward for pushing the project forward.  
  
Suddenly, alarm claxons began to ring all over the base as personnel all around them began to scramble to their stations. "What's happening?" Captain Karl demanded.  
  
"I... it's... it's probably another Zeon raid," Eric replied, "We've been having a lot of those lately. Let's just get into one of the bunkers and continue this later."  
  
"Lead the way," the Captain replied.  
-------------------------------  
"Enemy Ruygen Type detected!" a radar techie reported, "Four Dopps escort!"  
  
"Point of origin?" the senior officer asked.  
  
"California Base sir, what should we do?"  
  
"Tell AA batteries to remain silent! Order TINS to go after them!"  
---------------------------------  
"****! They picked us up!" the Ruygen's radar technician reported.  
  
"Damn it! Time to bug out!" the pilot screamed. A moment later he and the flight of Dopps accompanying him started turning for home. They never saw the eight TIN Cods coming up below them, and they never would.  
--------------------------------  
"TINS have targets! They are engaging!" the radar techie reported.  
  
His senior simply nodded as one by one, all five craft were blotted from the sky. Nobody survived. And yet another recce flight from California was sent crashing into the ground by Jaburo's air group.  
------------------------------------  
"Is it over?" the Captain asked.  
  
"It seems so, usually it's just a few planes from California. They never attack us seriously." Eric replied quietly.  
  
"We managed to capture a few MSM pilots a few days ago. They seem to have been testing new prototypes," the Captain warned.  
  
"Sir, I doubt that they can find a way in."  
-------------------------------------  
"Snoop 1 here, it's confirmed. This IS a dock," an Acguy pilot reported.  
  
"Alright, let's get out of here. The Mad Angler Squadron may find this very interesting..." his senior replied with a smile.  
--------------------------------  
The next five days were spent preparing and testing out the new equipment, as well as getting to know more about each other. Eric had proved to be a useful guide around Jaburo, he even managed to get them authorization to watch the White Base dock some time ago, which was great. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be that good with his EWAC GM. Principally the same as an ordinary GM, it had a large independent radar array instead of a shield. It gave it EWAC capability, but at the cost of some protection. But it wasn't that bad, Sylvie thought.   
  
Max though, was having a field day. His GM was finished in almost record time thanks to him, giving him a full day to test out the new machine. And it was great on the ground, even if it was a space type. Her daydreaming was suddenly interrupted by yet another alarm claxon. The 17th one she had heard since her stay, and it was getting annoying. Especially with the launch only 6 hours away... Another damn raid...  
--------------------------------  
"Oh... oh my God!" the radar techie screamed.  
  
"What is it!?" his senior officer asked.  
  
"Zeon aircraft! Dozens of them! It's a ****ing drop operation! ****! Minovsky Jamming!"  
  
"Sir! Enemy Mobile Suits are inside the base!!!" another technician reported.  
  
"What?!" the senior officer exclaimed, "Damn it... ALL UNITS! Scramble!!!"  
----------------------------------   
The commanding officer of Gau 4 was angry. Very angry. He and the rest of the forces stationed in the California Base had been ordered to attack the Federation's HQ at Jaburo way ahead of schedule. So much so that most of their carefully built prototypes had yet to be fielded. But since that Char Aznable had found Jaburo's docks the commander had willingly ordered them to attack. Great. And if this operation fails...  
  
The Gau just left of his suddenly took a dozen AA hits as it began to drop its bomb loads. A volley of air-to-air missiles followed. The Gau then exploded into a massive fireball that took some of the escorting Dopps with it. Damn it... he thought, this is a VERY bad idea... "How long before we reach our landing zone?!" he demanded.  
  
"Six minutes to positions! Our Mobile Suit complement is ready!"  
  
"Good! Let's drop'm and get out of here as soon as we can!" he turned his attention back to what was going on in front of him. He was just in time to see a burning FlyMantha start its kamikaze dive towards his bridge...  
-------------------------------------  
"Echo 8 for God's sake pull out!" a radio officer screamed. His words were in vain. The FlyMantha and the Gau collided. A moment later, the huge airborne carrier disappeared in a deafening explosion.  
--------------------------------------  
Even from below, John had heard it. But what was going on above was the least of his concerns. Right now, he was running for his life as a group of MSMs that had come from nowhere had began to lay waste on Jaburo's interior. A turret opened fire on them, but the group led by a red MS killed it before it could do real damage. A Fanfan followed suit and was quickly downed as well. A GM then entered the fray and valiantly began to shoot at the enemy MS, perhaps scoring a few kills, but then the red Mobile Suit charged the unfortunate GM and poked it right on the chest. The enemy Mobile Suit then viciously kicked the wreckage away as the reactor exploded.  
  
"****, is he...???" John said as he witnessed the slaughter. But then, a red beam shot out from the darkness and narrowly missed the red MSM. It was from a new arrival. The Gundam.  
  
"John! Get in!" Sylvie screamed as she pulled her jeep just beside him, "The whole base is under attack! MSMs are everywhere!"  
  
"That was... that was Char!!!" John finally said out loud, "Sylvie, he's the ****ing Red Comet! shouldn't we get help..."  
  
"Let the Gundam handle it."  
-----------------------------------------  
"What are these units?" the pilot of Snoop 1 asked as he began to move towards the 44th's MS hangar. He had never seen the Gundam Massproduced before, and he was in no mood to find out their true capabilities. He aimed his Acguy's 105mm at the green painted GM's face.  
  
Unfortunately for him, Max was already in the GM, and already aiming his beam spray pistol. And Max was much faster on the draw. One shot from Max's gun blew the unfortunate Acguy apart.  
  
"Their mass production type can carry beam weapons?!" Snoop 1's senior officer exclaimed as he saw him die. Damn it! He thought, as he began to aim his Gog's chest mega particle guns at the GM.  
  
But Max saw him too, and his beam pistol was far easier to aim than the clumsy guns installed in the Gog. A single shot pierced through the Gog's cockpit, and the MSM fell dead on the ground.  
  
"Max! Enemy ground units are being airdropped on top of Jaburo, we are being ordered to support!" Sylvie said as she tried to listen in on her portable radio. Beside her, John was now in the driver's seat and gesturing him to go up and help.  
  
"What about the MSMs?" Max asked.  
  
"The Gundam beat most of them off, but there are still many units on the surface."  
  
"Alright 44th, let's deploy!" Captain Karl ordered as he boarded his GM Cannon. The four other MS went to life as their respective pilots boarded them. All around them, dozens of GMs began to move, followed by Type 61s and Fanfans. They were all not going to let Jaburo fall.  
----------------------------------------  
The Zeon air fleet had become a mere shadow of its former self. Fully a quarter of the aircraft were lost before the drop, and more fell as Federation AA batteries and fighter squadrons intensified their assault. But at last, they were able to reach their drop coordinates, and one by one, the Gaus dropped their loads.  
--------------------------------------  
It was raining mono-eyes, an observer on the ground thought, but they weren't going to lose. Most MS were using their thrusters or parachutes to slow down their decent, but it gave the AA batteries and MPT Guntanks a chance to take some of them down. The sky was soon filled by tracers and occasional explosions as a few shots found their marks. By the time the Mobile Suits had landed, they had already suffered heavily. Officers were dead, some units were disabled. And it was becoming clear that something was going wrong in this impromptu attack.  
--------------------------------  
The 44th had just managed to set up around one of the docks before the Zeon troops came. Two Gaus dropped a total of six Mobile Suits on their positions, but then and a pair of supporting Guntanks killed two MS before they could land as well as damaging one of the Gaus. As a flight of TIN Cods finished off the Gau, Captain Karl ordered his Mobile Suits to fire at the surviving enemy. A Dom and three Zakus.   
  
Max was the first to fire, and to kill. His preliminary shot killed the squad leader Dom, causing the rest of the Zakus to start panicking. Juan and Chan's E-types each got one even though they were hampered by the E type's poor ground performance, while the third disappeared from a direct hit fired by the Captain. The entire battle had lasted 2 minutes.  
  
"How are the other sectors faring?" Captain Karl asked. He was pleased, but he knew they got lucky. In fact, it almost felt like murder. But this was Jaburo at stake.  
  
"Still heavy fighting everywhere, but the facilities are still mainly intact. High command is telling us to stay put for any further...  
  
Max suddenly fired his beam rifle into the air. An explosion followed as a Dopp exploded mid air.  
  
"...attacks, but I think we can score this one for the good guys."  
-------------------------------------------  
Within hours, that statement became a fact. Though Zeon units would continue to fight stubbornly for several days, Zeon had not made any significant gains on their initial positions. Too many units were lost before they could be landed, and the Federation just had too many reserves that could arrive in a much shorter time. Though Zeon soldiers proved more experienced than their Federation counterparts, the quantitative edge was too great for them to overcome. Had it been planned better, they may indeed have succeeded, but thanks to this hasty attack Zeon's last chance to destroy Jaburo was thrown away forever.  
----------------------------------------------  
BTW, that's the last time Char ever appears in my fic, period! :D  
  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
----------------------------  
"Hey Sarge, I only got two red ones, two white ones and three purple ones. Why are the rest of the Gelgoogs running away?"-Rookie Ball pilot.  
-If this statement was ever uttered in Gundam, all of Zeon's aces would have turned over their graves... twice. 


	17. Chapter 17: Countdown

Chapter 17: Countdown  
  
"What the hell do you mean we have to launch on schedule?!" General Dolvich shouted angrily as he got the message from his superior officer.  
  
"Dolvich!" Nicolo shot back angrily, "You are my subordinate and you SHALL follow my orders without question!"  
  
"But sir, there are dozens of enemy MS still out there! One shot from a 360mm and we could lose one of the..."  
  
"The defense force says they have secured the launch ramp, and they have! Launch shall proceed on schedule!"  
  
"I can only accept these orders under protest," Dolvich replied coldly.  
  
"Complain all you want, but either launch or I'll find somebody who will," Nicolo replied with an evil look on his face.  
  
"Yes sir..."  
-------------------------------  
"What do you mean we're still launching?" Sylvie asked with a combination of doubt and annoyance in her voice.  
  
"We're launching on schedule, that means two hours from now. Get those GMs loaded on the Spruance ASAP," Eric replied as he read through the orders again.  
  
"Damn it! There are..."  
  
"General Dolvich has already put our case and lost," Captain Karl interjected as he arrived, "We just launch whether we like it or not."  
  
"Great... just great. Might as well shoot myself in the head right now..." Sylvie replied cynically.  
----------------------------------  
"Commander, we've lost another Zaku!" a young Zeon private screamed as yet another member of his platoon was killed by Federation artillery.  
  
"Damn it! Let's keep going!" his Lieutenant demanded as he sped his Dom towards one of the coordinates. It was one of the docks that Jaburo had, and if he could get in, he might be able to destroy some production facilities. Not much, but that was the best he could do with the present situation.  
-----------------------------------  
Federation dock crews were surprised at their orders. They had been ordered to attach the extra booster engines on the Spruance, Anzio and Gloucester on schedule, despite the battle going around. It was a more difficult job that normal, the new ships needing much larger boosters than normal, but the crew had been preparing for months. The job would be done on time.  
------------------------------------  
The dock had become busy with activity, John saw, as men began to load the GMs into the Spruance. She had a large hangar installed between the ship's aft turret and bridge, and the omission of a catapult system gave it just enough space to squeeze all six GMs of the 44th Company. Farther off in the distance, the Gloucester and the Anzio were being similarly loaded.  
  
"You packed?" a voice asked behind him. It was Fred.  
  
"Yeah, I'm all set," John replied.  
  
"Then let's get on. Thirty minutes to launch, and we're the only ones still not onboard," Fred warned.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be there, just give me a chance to mail this," John replied as he produced a letter, "Have to keep my promises you know."  
  
"Yeah lover boy, I know, I know..."  
--------------------------------------  
Col. Patterson had already mailed his letter, and was thus early for the ship officer's briefing. With him was Major Martel, commander of the Gloucester, and Lt. Colonel Yang, skipper of the Anzio.  
  
"Alright gentlemen," General Dolvich said as he entered the room, "Launch will proceed on schedule. What is the status of your ships?"  
  
"Gloucester is fully loaded and operational sir," Martel replied confidently.  
  
"Anzio is ready, and we are now loading our third and last GM sir," Yang replied, though with less enthusiasm than Martel.  
  
"Spruance is ready to take you onboard," Patterson reported, "All systems functional, and we're down to loading the GM Sniper."  
  
"Good. I know you still have problems with the launch, but orders are orders. I'm coming aboard the Spruance now. See you all in space."  
----------------------------------------  
Being strapped tightly into one's seat is not the most comfortable position, Sylvie thought, but she knew it was necessary for the launch. John and a few others had not yet been to space before, and they were very nervous. VERY nervous.  
  
"I really hope this thing doesn't blow when we launch..." John started nervously.  
  
"If Zeon doesn't shoot us down, we still have contractors to worry about. Those damn idiots skimp on everything," Fred replied in an equally nervous tone.  
  
"It's not that bad," Eric interjected, "I'm pretty sure we'll make it."  
  
"Yeah, but you've done this before, I haven't. Not even ONCE," John shot back. His voice almost at the point of panic. Good as he was at sea, space was an element as foreign to him as she in the ocean, and the way he reacted was almost comical, Sylvie thought with a smile.  
  
"Attention on deck!" the ship's executive officer ordered, "Flag officer arriving!"  
  
They would all have stood, but this was one of the exceptions to that rule. Taking off all the seatbelts would have taken more time than was available. The General and the Colonel simply nodded and took their seats. "Begin preflight check!" Col. Patterson ordered.  
  
"All systems green," the chief engineer reported.  
  
"Jaburo has given us the go signal," Sylvie said, "Last 5 minutes to launch."  
  
"Alright, sight tight people," Col. Patterson ordered, "This ride may be bumpy, but trust the ground troops to keep us safe." He hoped.  
-----------------------------------------  
"We're here sir!" a Zeon private reported as he pulled his Gouf up a low hill. Below him an underground dock, still closed and camouflaged, but definitely there. It was quite heavily defended, but...  
  
"Begin the assault!" his superior ordered. He was down to a Dom, a Gouf, and two Zakus, but he planned to make maximum use of his force.  
  
"Sir, I think they are preparing for launch..." the private reported in a surprised tone as he saw the dock began to open.  
  
He considered the situation for a moment. The enemy was making a mistake by launching while they were still around. HLVs were very delicate targets, essentially giant fuel tanks, and they were easier to destroy in the air in this position rather than another costly trek down the hill, considering the enemy defenses. "Alright! Stay put, and get ready to open fire once you see the HLVs launch."  
----------------------------------------  
"5... 4... 3... 2..." Sylvie counted as the clock slowly ticked in front of her. She was getting scared, but..."1... Begin ignition!"  
  
Outside, all three boosters attached to the ships started to come to life. To prevent possible mid air collisions, the ships would launch a few seconds separately, and the Gloucester would be the first to go.  
----------------------------------------  
The Zeon Lieutenant was surprised to see not just an HLV, but rather a Salamis class cruiser. A much more attractive target. He aimed, but the first ship had already gained enough altitude before he could fire, and the Gloucester continued its way unmolested up to the sky.  
---------------------------------------  
"3... 2... 1..." Sylvie counted before taking a deep breath, "Spruance, launching!"  
  
Outside, the Spruance's boosters came full to life and began to lift the massive ship up towards the heavens. Inside, Sylvie and the rest of the crew began to feel the crushing effects of gravity as it tried to pull them back into the ground. Man's technology would not be beaten though, as the ship began to reach escape velocity...  
--------------------------------------------  
"A second one! Magellan type!!!" the Zeon private shouted jubilantly as he took aim. How did they ever get this lucky?  
  
"Fire!" the Lieutenant ordered, and a quartet of rockets began to streak towards the Spruance.  
-----------------------------------------  
"****!!!" the pilot of one of the guarding GMs screamed as he saw the rockets. He began to radio desperately for help, and he could only pray that the rockets would miss...  
-----------------------------------------  
Three did. The Spruance, being larger, took a slightly different flight path and evaded three rockets altogether, though one exploded close enough to be noticed by a very nervous John onboard. But the fourth hit. It would have been the end, but incredibly, it did not explode. It was a dud.  
  
"What the hell is happening?!" John screamed as he felt the jolt, even as he felt the pain of the Earth's gravity pulling on him. Merciful darkness enveloped him before he knew the answer.  
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"FIRE! FIRE!" the GM pilot screamed as he saw the rockets narrowly miss the Magellan. Soon the hilltop was filled with explosions. Behind him, the third Salamis began to blast its way towards the sky.  
  
But one Zeon mobile suit was still active, the Lieutenant's Dom, and he was already aiming his bazooka, right on the Anzio. He got the shot off just before his MS took a direct hit from one of the MPT Guntanks. And it was heading right for the Anzio.  
  
The GM pilot saw it start streaking towards the Salamis, and did the bravest, and last, thing he would ever do in his life. He put his GM's thrusters to full, rocketing to the sky and interposing his MS between the rocket and the Salamis. Incredibly, he just made it in time to block the rocket, taking for himself the round meant for the ship. His GM exploded a second later, the fragments of his GM peppering the Anzio. Some embedded themselves into the ship, a reminder to her crew of the sacrifice made so they may live. For how much longer though, was still a matter yet to be resolved.  
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Inside the Spruance, the crew had mostly fallen unconscious from the crushing forces they had to go through during the launch. And as it was before, the ghosts came back to haunt General Dolvich. They always did, when he went to that place... Luna 2.  
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January 20, UC 0079  
  
The fleet was coming home. What was left of it. And even to those that survived, traces of death could still be seen everywhere. Charred and bloodied decks, ruined turrets, burned out bridges, trailing smoke. They all decorated the remaining ships of the Federation's once proud fleet. Zeon's new mobile suits had just proved yet again that their maneuverability now made the big gun ships of the Federation obsolete, this time resoundingly. There were three Federation ships for every Zeon one five days ago at the Ruum. Now, there were barely enough to count, the rest having been lost in the single bloodiest battle in all of history. Casualties no longer counted by the thousands, or even by millions, but rather by BILLIONs. At least, they were almost there. Almost at Luna 2.  
  
"Sir transmission from the Eindhoven..." Comms officer Sylvie Gressier reported with no life in her voice.   
  
The kid was just too soft, he reckoned, and she had just about lost it. She felt responsible, even if she could not have done anything. It was such a pity a kind person like her had to see all the horrors of the One Week War. Maybe death would have been more merciful for her, but fate had not handed her that. Sending her home in this state would have to do, and it was a good thing Side 6 was now neutral, "Let's hear it," he ordered.  
  
"This is Major Putin..." a barely audible voice reported, "We are having ...reactor problems... I'm not sure if..."  
  
"Hang on Eindhoven, we're only two hours away!" Sylvie said desperately, "Please... don't..."  
  
Her words were in vain. The Eindhoven exploded as the crew was no longer able to contain her runaway reactor and the flammable gases that had permeated her decks. Not a single soul made it out alive. And Sylvie simply collapsed at her post, sobbing.  
  
Putin... Alexander thought. They had been friends since meeting at the military academy. Another one he had lost. But not the only one. He read a report. It was about an enemy ace pilot, "The Red Comet." He had sunk five ships at the Ruum. His eldest son was onboard one of those ships. His other two sons were dead as well. One had died at Side 1, shot down in his Sabrefish. The other had died at Side 4, vaporized by a Zeon nuke even before his ship could leave dock. He could see all their faces... and he could hear their screams as they died. And his wife had yet to know, and he knew she would be devastated. But he was the Captain, he had to be strong. Regardless of how he felt.  
  
"Sir!!! Compartment 7 has just given way!" the XO reported.  
  
"Seal Compartments 8 and 9," he ordered coldly.  
  
"But sir!!! There were men working on 7! If we seal them now they'll run out of air..." Sylvie screamed.  
  
"If we don't we lose medbay and more men! Now do it!" Dolvich replied angrily.  
  
The XO grabbed the mike from Sylvie and relayed the order. The response was not what he expected.  
  
"Sir! There are men down there!!!" the officer on site reported, the screams of those trapped in compartment 7 still audible in the background, "Give us five minutes and we might..."  
  
"In three more minutes six and eight will give way too, now do it!" Dolvich ordered angrily, and the officer could only comply. And with that the fates of six men were sealed. Six for nearly 30 in the surrounding compartments. His face showed no emotion, but it was part of being an officer. Condemned to be alone, to make hard choices, to be responsible for those under him. No matter the cost to himself.  
-----------------------------------  
"General sir, we are here," Sean said as he woke the General.  
  
Dolvich opened his eyes as he was taken from his nightmare, glad he did not have to finish it. But it had still reminded him of more pain that was to follow. How his wife had killed herself out of grief, how his only remaining child, his daughter Natalie, had practically disowned him, blaming him for the death of her family. And perhaps worse of all, writing to the fathers, mothers, wives, husbands and other loved ones of those who had died under his command. And how the little children could not understand why mom or dad was never coming home. He was prepared for this, training made sure of that, but they had not. It was such a tragedy. One million deaths isn't a statistic, as an old Soviet leader once said. It's a tragedy, but only this time only replayed a million times over in a million different faces. He looked at Sean, they were of the same breed, but at least his daughter still loved him.  
  
"Are you alright sir?" Sean asked. He had been with Dolvich too, and knew how terrible it was. But Johnston was a lot luckier than the Amerigo. She had suffered only two scratch hits and three wounded during the One Week War, and he still blessed his good fortune for it.   
  
"Just being nostalgic Colonel, alright, let's get to work!" General Dolvich announced confidently. But however hard it, being an officer was the only thing he had left, and he would do his job and bring these people home. Whatever it will take.  
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"What was his name?" Lt. Col Yang asked quietly.  
  
"The report didn't say sir..." his XO reported.  
  
"Can you find out?" Yang asked again. He had saved them all, at the very least he had to know his name.  
  
"I tried, but they wouldn't give it, ****ing SECRECY they say..." the XO replied. He almost spat.  
  
Yang could only nod. Another hero whose name was lost to anonymity. It was such an unfair world.  
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Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	18. Chapter 18: The Skull and Crossbones

Sorry for the extremely late posting(especially to the ever loyal "Anonymous One"), I was kinda tied up with some things I've been doing this summer. So, I've put together a nice 5 chapter package for your viewing pleasure ^_^. Again, if you REALLY can't wait for the fic, the old version is available in www.newtype-asylum.com. Also, readers of the fic may also want to check out His Divine Shadow's excellent UC fanfiction In Vain Doth Valour Bleed, also available in fanfiction.net ^_^.   
  
Chapter 18: The Skull and Crossbones   
  
Nov 30, UC 0079- Luna 2 Dock  
  
She looked a lot different when he first saw her, but he could still recognize her despite all the scars she had taken at the hands of the Zeon Navy and the shipyards of the Federation. "She" was his old battleship, the Amerigo, and he could still smell the fresh blue paint that once covered her exterior. The blue paint was gone now, replaced by a low visibility gray-black color scheme that was more practical in wartime conditions. Most appropriate for a now veteran warrior that had lived past many of her sisters. Beside her was another survivor, the Johnston, but unlike the Amerigo her phenomenal luck had left her elegant superstructure nearly the same as it was when she was built two years ago. Except for the new MS hangar that had replaced her rear turrets, that is.  
  
"Will you be taking command of her now, sir?" Sean asked. The plan was to make the Amerigo the overall flagship of the fleet, while the newer, faster ships would operate under Patterson from the Spruance. Much as he admired Dolvich, he didn't really want to share the bridge with a superior officer who could always look over his shoulder...  
  
"Alright, I'm taking her now Patterson. Take good care of the Spruance, we'll be heading to Malta Base in an hour or so."  
  
"Yes sir."  
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The cold-hearted officer that had greeted her was bad enough, but her memories of this place were nothing short of painful. Luna 2 was almost the only safe haven for the Federation fleet after the One Week War, as well as most of the surviving refugees from the destroyed Sides. She could still see it, the rows and rows of dead, the grieving families, the little kids made orphans who were just wandering around, looking for mother or father, not able to understand that they would never see them again. All in the name of spacenoid independence. She swore out loud.  
  
"Sylvie?" John asked, surprised at her outburst as he tried to keep his balance. There was a little gravity, but not enough to keep him from getting dizzy. But it wasn't as bad as he thought.  
  
"Nothing, forget it, let's get out of here as soon as we can," Sylvie replied coldly.  
  
"Are you..." John started.  
  
Sylvie sighed. John had a peculiar way of knowing how people felt, even if they tried to hide it. At least, she consoled herself, he was a nice guy... despite her glaring first impression of him, "No, and I don't want to talk about it."  
  
John sighed as well. Sylvie just kept too many things to herself, even if she couldn't handle it very well. This was just another one of those cases, "Alright, don't worry about it. Let's just wait till the briefing, alright?"  
  
"That's a good idea..." Sylvie responded. But she kept looking at the floor below her, not wanting to look outside. Damn, John thought, this girl has some serious problems... but he wasn't the guy that could help her.  
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"Max, sorry if I never told you this, but thank you," Maurice said rather shyly as soon as she and Max were alone in the wardroom. She'd been waiting for Fred, Eric and Juan to leave so she could finally tell him, and she just hoped...  
  
"What do you mean?" Max replied quietly.  
  
"I mean... I never thanked you... for what you did after we met here..." Maurice said as she blushed lightly, looking at the floor, "I had... pretty much broken down... I just wanted to see my dad, my mom, even my little brother... I wanted to be with them, and I just didn't want to live..." Maurice looked at him, but kept her stare away from his eyes as a frown formed on her lips and tears began to form in her eyes, "Then I met you again, and even though you were in as bad a situation as me you tried to comfort me. So there! Thank you!" Maurice finished as she turned her gaze to his eyes, her frown turning to a smile, "For being the big brother I always wanted, but never had."  
  
"You're weird, you know that?" Max said quietly as he gave her a brotherly hug. But still, he didn't smile.  
  
"Yeah, I know..."  
-------------------------------------------  
"Where are Max and Maurice?" John asked as he saw the three other pilots chatting quietly in the hall.  
  
"Oh, they're talking in the wardroom," Juan replied, "Maurice asked us to go on ahead of them..."  
  
Sylvie seemed to turn a touch paler than usual. Fortunately for her, only John had noticed that.  
  
"No worries," Sylvie said in a very even tone, "Let's go."   
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"Another telegram?" Zeon Captain Ming Chow said sadly as an orderly handed him an envelope.  
  
"Ming, what is it?" his wingman, Lieutenant Michael West asked with concern in his voice. Ming had just lost his older brother at Odessa a few weeks ago, and now this...  
  
"It's my younger brother... he's dead. Killed in the Philippines. Damn the Feds!" he replied angrily. But he didn't cry, instead his eyes began to fill with rage. He hated the Federation. For forcibly evicting his family from Earth, for being responsible, directly or indirectly, for the death of every member of his family. Except his younger sister Mei Li that is. His anger went down a notch.  
  
"Ming, are you..." Mike started, as he tried to pat Ming in the back.  
  
"No, don't worry. War is war. I'm going to avenge him by killing more of those *******s," he replied, determination in his eyes, his fists clenched as hard as stone.  
  
"Well, maybe this will help you do that," Mike said as he started to pull his wingman to the hangar. The Bremen, the Musai class cruiser they were serving on, had just gotten a few new MS from a resupply Papua to replace their aging Zaku IICs.  
  
Ming wasn't really in the mood to go, but he went anyway. Better to forget and get back to work, he reflected. What he saw in the hangar didn't disappoint him. In fact, it even managed to temporarily take away his anger and frustration. It was a Zaku. But not just an ordinary one. It had huge legs that housed many extra maneuvering thrusters. It was the High-Mobility Type Zaku, the R type. The ultimate MS to pilot for any true Zeon ace. And it was painted in the orange paint scheme that he used, and the Chinese character Ming painted in an elegant calligraphic style on its left shoulder. This was HIS Zaku, he realized.  
  
"You lucky dog!" Mike said as he saw the R-type. But he knew he deserved it. They were both part of Zeon's "Jolly Rogers" fleet, whose job was to harass the Federation's supply lines. And Ming was now the best ace in the fleet after the Crimson Lighting himself, Johnny Ridden, had left the force to test out a new prototype MS in the Ace Pilot Corps. Ming even managed to kill at least one of the new enemy MS last October while escorting a prototype Dom/Zaku. Even though that prototype was later lost, it didn't keep Zeon from completing Mike's new MS, the Rick Dom.  
  
"Alright Ming, I got you what you wanted didn't I?" Colonel Jefferson, their CO, said as he joined the two nearly awe struck pilots. Though Jefferson had some aristocratic connections with the ruling family, he didn't act like one and cared for his men. And he talked just like a pirate, the two thought with a smile.  
  
"Thank you sir," Ming replied with a bow. He was very appreciative.  
  
"Hell, you've earned it. Besides, you really don't want to know how I got that..." Jefferson replied with a grin. It had taken a few strings to get it, but he had convinced Admiral Dozul to give him a "surplus" one. This unit had probably belonged to one of the now deceased ace pilots, maybe the Black Trinary, or somebody who had traded it in for a new prototype. In either case he really didn't want to know, lest it cause even MORE paperwork and a lot of explanations to other ace pilots..."Just don't disappoint me."  
  
"I'll get you a cruiser next time we sortie sir," Ming replied confidently.  
  
"That'll be soon. Fleet command is telling us to team up with the Hannover and the Hamburg. They think that the main invasion maybe coming."  
  
"We'll make sure they don't take our homeland, right Ming!?" Mike declared confidently.  
  
"Yes. We won't."  
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Max and Maurice made it just in time for the briefing, but perhaps it was better they didn't. The briefing really didn't tell them much more than they already knew, Sylvie thought, though at the very least the Colonel tried his best not to make it boring. Basically, the plan was to get to Fire Base Malta, keep it operational and await for further orders. Enemy status and intentions were, as usual, unknown. But it was a simple plan. Unfortunately, the simplest things in war are often the hardest to accomplish.   
-------------------------------------  
General Dolvich took a deep breath as the Amerigo eased itself out of the Luna 2's dry-dock. His was the last ship to leave, and he realized that at last, despite all the near misses, they were on their way. Up front were the three newest ships, Spruance, Gloucester and Anzio. To his left was his first squadron of cruisers, composed of the Normandy, Johnston, and Ramillies. To his right was the second, composed of the Salamis class cruisers Ulm, Quantico and Austerlitz. Behind him were the Columbus class supply ships De Gama and Clark, bringing with them some extra support units. He had a total of 28 Mobile Suits, 10 Balls, 8 SabreFish and a quartet of Public PT boats. Two Publics, four Sabrefish and a modified observer type Ball were far off in front, acting as forward pickets. The journey would take about five days, and it would most certainly be dangerous.  
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At Zeon's lunar base in Granada under the close supervision of Cecilia Irene, four Musais and a Tibe are launched out of dock and begin to head towards Side 2. The journey would only take three days.   
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Dec. 2 UC 0079 Somewhere over Earth orbit  
  
The first two days were almost boring, John thought. The route they took was almost clear of any debris and it was very easy to spot any Zeon units that may have wanted to attack them. Not that any had appeared, that is. That changed dramatically today. His radar screen was now covered with blips from the pieces of wreckage that littered this "shoal zone". Part of ships and colonies that had drifted from the derelict Sides. Sylvie was holding up, despite her memories of this place, and he could only hope that she would continue to do so. He turned his attention back to the screen. The coast was clear, or so it seems...  
-------------------------------------  
"Our Flipper have sighted a large force of enemy ships. Numbers are still unknown," the senior communications officer aboard the Bremen reported.  
  
"We need more to work on..." Jefferson replied. His ship's third MS was a reconnaissance type Zaku, affectionately called Flipper due to its flipper like sensor arrays installed in its head, and he had specifically ordered it out first to assess any enemy that may be coming. As said in an old military text... "He who knows himself and knows the enemy will surely win..."   
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After receiving the Bremen's transmission, the Flipper immediately set to work identifying the enemy fleet. Its powerful optics told its pilot the enemy fleet had at least fifteen ships, and the three up front were new ones. The pilot flipped a switch to begin recording images on the new ones, sure that the engineers would be interested in the Federation's latest ship designs. If they didn't send back the wreckage instead that is...  
---------------------------------------  
"Fifteen? Too many..." Jefferson said as he heard the Flipper's report, "We have to settle for a quick hit and run raid. How are the Hannover and the Hamburg? Are they ready for our little ambush?"  
  
"Yes sir, guns are locked on to the kill zone. Hannover has also set the mines in that area too sir."  
  
"Good, now don't fire until my signal..."  
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Something was very fishy, John thought. The path in front of them seemed to be too clear, while those on the side seemed to have more wreckage than usual. It felt like somebody WANTED them to take the middle route. "Sir, could we slow down a bit? I have a bad feeling about this..."  
  
"Be more specific," Sean replied sternly, "We have a schedule you know."  
  
"Somebody seems to have prepared a ready made path for us sir," John said as he pointed to the radar screen.  
  
Sean considered it for a moment. It could be a trap, or it could be nothing. Slowing down would cost them time, but going forward could cost them lives. He made his decision. "Alright, signal the fleet Sylvie."  
  
"Yes sir, and Magic, I hope you know what you're doing..."  
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So, the enemy fleet wasn't THAT stupid. But Jefferson had already thought out contingency plans. "Execute secondary plan now. Prepare to fire missiles!"  
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Ming had heard the orders, and was a little disappointed. Had the enemy just rushed in, it would have run afoul of beam fire and mobile suits from three directions while mines detonated about them. Now, since they stopped just outside the kill zone, they could only be attacked head on, and it had to be quick and decisive. But he had no worries, his R-type could handle it. Beside him, the Bremen fired two of its missiles at the enemy fleet, its smoke trails barely visible thanks to some modifications the engineers had done...  
----------------------------------------  
John's blood turned cold as the radar screen suddenly blanked out on him. The surest sign of Minovsky interference. OH ****! "Colonel! Minovsky interference! We are under attack!!!"  
  
"I can see a pair of missiles heading for us!!!" a lookout reported.  
  
"Anti air guns, open fire and shoot down those missiles! Launch all Mobile Suits!" Col. Patterson quickly ordered. All around him, alarm claxons started going off as the Spruance and the rest of the 17th Fleet prepared for its first battle.  
------------------------------------------  
A total of six missiles were fired, Ming saw. Two headed for a brand new Magellan up front, while the other four headed for some of the older Salamis behind them. He watched as the new Magellan's AA guns take down both missiles before they got close, and downed another heading for the ships in the back row. Those ships then began to open fire, killing all but one missile. But the last missile struck true, hitting the cruiser Quantico and destroying her bridge. And now was their chance.   
  
He and seven other Zeon MS began to rocket their way towards the enemy fleet. Behind them, the three Musais opened fire with their beam cannons to cover them, scoring a few hits on the enemy ships in the process. But the fire was not intense enough to suppress the enemy fleet entirely, and the big guns of the lead ships began to fire.  
  
Two Zaku II Fs were instantly hit and taken down. A Zaku IIS piloted by their squad leader followed them. The other Zakus began to break off as the fire became too intense, but Ming and Michael pressed on the attack, their highly maneuverable MS able to avoid the beams with ease. Two Sabrefish tried to sneak up behind them, but both were taken down by the other Zakus now trying to provide covering fire for both of them. As Ming approached the first row of ships, he fired a rocket at the new Salamis to his left. It hit, but didn't do serious damage. Michael fired at the new Magellan, but it missed. Ming swore as they continued on to the second row of ships, they had lost 3 MS for practically nothing in return. His attitude changed as he saw a heavily damaged Salamis almost right in front of him...   
---------------------------------------------  
"Damage report!!!" General Dolvich demanded as another explosion shook the Amerigo.  
  
"Scratch hit on the port bridge. Normandy has taken one direct hit, and the Quantico is requesting help..."  
  
General turned to the Quantico. Out of all the ships, she had suffered the most. One missile and two beam hits, but even though her bridge was gone she was still operational. But then he suddenly saw two objects heading straight towards it...  
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Ming grinned as he weaved through the last of the enemy's AA fire. It was just too easy with the Zaku's incredible maneuverability. The Rick Dom was a little less maneuverable, but Michael was able to keep up with him as well. Michael, having a longer ranged bazooka, fired first and broke off. The shell hit a few seconds later, shattering one of the cruiser's turrets. But it was still intact. Ming headed straight for the cruiser, fully intent to finish it off. Like a wolf, he preferred to stalk the weak and wounded prey. He fired two shots, one at the forward torpedo room, the second near the engines...  
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"****!" John screamed as the Zaku scored hits on the Quantico. The first shot had hit the forward torpedo room, causing a catastrophic explosion in the forward compartments as the Quantico's torpedoes cooked off. But it was the second shot that finished her off. The round had penetrated the armor belt around the engine room of the ship, and the shell exploded right in the reactor. The ship was vaporized by her own nuclear engines a second later.  
  
"Shoot down that son of a *****!" Colonel Patterson demanded as the Zaku started to break off. But it suddenly turned around and began to charge another target. His target, Sean realized as his blood chilled, was the flagship, the Amerigo.   
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The 44th TMSC is copyrighted by me. No part of this fic may be used without my permission. Gundam and all related trademarks belong to their respective companies.  
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*shrug* I know, it's getting a little on the "mushy" side, but...:D. Been reading too many fics at miburo.com(Saito Hajime fan site, check it out!), hehe.  
  
A few stuff:   
I "borrowed" one of the 70 odd High Mobility types. If I read right there are 22 orginal R types and 50 or so improved R types that had propellant cartridges for easy refueling. And this is the only R type I'm ever going to use("It's harder to get your hands on an R-type than to sink a Federation battleship" right Shin?).  
  
I also borrowed a Zaku Flipper. I know that the Flipper is also pretty rare, that's why I took only one. Hehe. 


	19. Chapter 19: Contested Passage

Chapter 19: Contested Passage  
  
Ming was just about to fire at the Federation battleship when a red beam shot by right in front him, narrowly missing his suit by a scant 3 yards. He turned to meet a green Federation humanoid type who immediately fired at him again. Ming evaded, and fired a shot in return. The shell missed as the humanoid type skillfully evaded his shot. Ming grinned, this was a better model than the ones he had fought before, but he was confident he could beat it. His trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by a transmission from Mike.  
  
"Captain, the Colonel is telling us to withdraw. We'd better get the hell out of here!" he warned as he fired his bazooka and killed a newly arrived Ball.  
  
Ming grimaced, but decided that he was right. He was still just one Mobile Suit, after all. "Alright Mike, I'm going!" he replied as he fired a parting round at his adversary.  
--------------------------------  
Max evaded the last shot fired at him, but by the time he got his sights back at the Zaku it had already turned and fled. His beam rifle had a long range, but the Zaku was maneuvering among the Federation ships and scattered wreckage, making it impossible to have a clear shot.  
  
"We'll get'm Max, don't worry," Maurice said as she joined him in her Light Armor, "The Captain has given us permission to pursue, let's go!" she declared as she sped her MS past his. Two more GMs, Juan and Fred's, followed her. Max nodded and followed close behind, careful to keep the three of them covered at all times...  
--------------------------------  
"Alright! Begin battle turn!!!" Jefferson ordered as the last of his Mobile Suits managed to break away. The battle turn was an ancient and still effective way of retreating from the enemy, used by the German Navy since World War I. Basically, it consisted of firing a wave of torpedoes to cover them while the ships turned around to flee. He'd done it many times before, but he was getting worried about the enemy humanoid types...  
--------------------------------  
"Damn it! Six more missiles heading our way!" a lookout screamed. Outside, the Spruance's point defense guns once again came to life to shoot down the incoming missiles.  
  
"Time to work your magic Lieutenant Recto!" Sean ordered angrily. They had lost a cruiser and still had no idea where the enemy ships were. This was simply getting annoying.  
  
John nodded quietly as he closed his eyes, slowly visualizing the enemy attack in his mind. Sylvie couldn't help but watch him slowly tap his finger on the radar screen in his trance like state, seemingly divining the presence of the enemy ships. "There!" he suddenly declared, tapping a point on the screen, "Check bearing 167, elevation 36 degrees. The guy's probably turning right now."  
  
"I see it!" the lookout reported as he saw the familiar profile of a Zeon light cruiser trying to hide among the wreckage, "Musai type! Turning to flee!"  
  
"Good work John," Sean commended, surprised at how accurate his prediction was.  
  
"Not yet sir, there are at least three of them... gimme a while to find'm for you..."  
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"Musai type in sight! Gunnery solution is set!" the Gloucester's gunnery officer reported. They had been listening in to the transmissions in the Spruance's bridge, and now they had also managed to find and lock on to the enemy Musai.  
  
Major Martel nodded. Only one thing left to do, "Fire!"   
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The Hannover had just completed her turn when all five beams struck. All five pierced right through the Musai's aft superstructure and exited on the other side, killing nearly all of her crew instantly and causing a massive chain reaction in her gun compartments. The Musai's superstructure, already weakened by the hits, was ripped apart by these explosion, sending thousands of fragments flying off in all directions.  
-----------------------------------  
"****!" Jefferson growled angrily. He had NOT expected that. All his ships had been camouflaged with pieces of wreckage from the shoal zone to make them harder to spot, but some lucky Federation cruiser had managed to spot the Hannover and blow her away. And he was not about to wait for the Fed fleet to get lucky again, "Where are our Mobile Suits?! We need to get out of here now!"  
  
"The Flipper is on board, but the rest are still being harassed by enemy MS. They'll be here in five minutes but..." his XO reported.  
  
"Then we'll wait five minutes!" he replied firmly. He never left men behind, and hoped that he wouldn't lose more because of that principle.  
-------------------------------------  
Ming scowled as he saw what was left of the MS force. The Hannover's squadron had been wiped out, and only one of the Hamburg's three Zakus had managed to get out alive. The other two had been taken down by the covering fire of the green MS he had earlier fought, and he was getting VERY pissed off at not being allowed to fight it. At least Mike was still in one piece, though one of his arms had been severed.  
  
"Captain Ming sir," the Hamburg's surviving pilot reported, "There's the Hamburg, I'm going to..." his transmission was suddenly cut short by a beam that hit his Zaku and exploded it.  
  
Ming angrily turned to see a red-white MS approaching him rapidly. It fired at him, but he evaded with ease. He then fired a shot in return. The GM managed to block the shot with his shield, but the armor-piercing round managed to penetrate the shield and impact the Mobile Suit. The GM was disabled, but not destroyed, and Ming was about to finish it off when he got a call from Mike.  
  
"Leav'm sir, more of them coming!" Michael warned, and Ming for the second time in the day grimaced in frustration as he turned to leave. He didn't want to run, but even he knew that it was impossible to win against five to one odds. In any case, his fuel gauge told him that he really didn't have a choice anyway.  
-----------------------------------------  
"You okay Juan?" Max asked as he slowed to a stop just beside Juan's now damaged GM. He'd told him NOT to get over enthusiastic, and as a result he wasn't able to cover him effectively...  
  
"Sorry sir, but forget about me for the moment, we've got bigger fish to fry," Juan replied as he pointed something in front of him. Max turned and saw a Musai in the distance, slowly trying to slip away.  
  
"Go get'm Max, you're the only one whose beam rifle can hit something that far away," Maurice advised as she joined the two, Fred following close behind her.  
  
Max nodded and carefully aimed his sights at the Musai. The rifle's E-cap was running out of energy, and he only had about three shots left. He didn't think he'd need all of them as he carefully waited for a single, unimpeded shot. The opportunity presented itself a second later, and Max depressed the trigger.  
-------------------------------------------  
An exquisitely aimed shot fired by Max yielded spectacular results. The beam hit the Musai's left nuclear engine and destroyed it, but that was only half of the story. The beam managed to pierce right _through_ the engine and continue on to the other side, hitting and destroying the right engine as well. The Musai lingered for a while, enough time for somebody to try to launch the Kommusai to escape, but before it could get away the Musai exploded, the shockwave disintegrating the unfortunate Kommusai and everybody in it...  
---------------------------------------------  
Jefferson could hardly believe it. ONE shot had killed his second Musai... what were the Federation's new weapons capable of?  
  
"Our R-Type and Rick Dom have been recovered!" the XO reported, the shock still in his voice.  
  
Jefferson nodded, "Alright, let's get out of here, flank speed."  
--------------------------------------------  
The last Musai managed to get away, John thought as he frowned in frustration. The Musai managed to slip past all of them despite their best efforts to find it. A horrible feeling started filling his chest. If he had managed to find the enemy force earlier, maybe they wouldn't have lost so many men. As it was, they had lost a cruiser, three Sabrefish and two Balls. Another two cruisers were damaged. ****.  
  
"Don't worry too much John, we DID manage to get two cruisers," Sylvie said comfortingly as she read the serious look in his face.  
  
"Nah, I'm not worrying. I'm just doing a few mental calculations, that's all," John replied. But she was right. They had done badly, but Zeon had done worse. Zeon could not afford to lose as many ships as did the Federation, their resources were too scarce to allow that. The problem was logistical. It took five days to get reinforcements to Malta from Luna 2, while Zeon took only three. Worse still, the Federation fleet was currently hopelessly outnumbered, and it was highly doubtful if any additional ships would be sent from Luna 2 to replace their losses. The Federation might have more resources, but it still had yet to come into play. He hoped that was soon, or he may indeed end up breaking his promise to Cynthia...   
--------------------------------------------  
In the Amerigo's bridge, General Dolvich was thinking exactly the same thing. In a more refined manner as an experienced General should, but in the sum it was basically the same. Unlike John though, he knew that the invasion of Zeon, Operation Star One, was set to begin around December 24. The problem was, that was two weeks away, and that damn Nicolo still seemed to be keeping secrets about the REAL mission of the fleet...  
--------------------------------------------  
"General Nicolo, please explain why did you launch the 17th Fleet a week earlier than planned?" Admiral Tianmen asked in a cold tone. He was a busy man now that Operation Star One was about to begin, and now THIS.  
  
"Sir, we believe that Malta Base may come under attack soon, and it was prudent to reinforce it," he replied coolly, not showing any emotion.  
  
"Damn it Nicolo!" Tianmen growled as he smashed his fist on the table, "I told you! Abandon that ****ing base already! It's too far from the main Federation bases and has no real military value anyway!"  
  
"Sir, General Revil has already agreed with me on the value of that base, and I'm sure the fleet can handle it."  
  
"What for? For launching raids into Granada?" Tianmen scoffed. It was impossible. They'd have to go through a lot of Lunar cities to get to Granada, and he doubted the Lunarians would just let them past through their airspace and lay waste to one of their fellow city-states.  
  
"Yes sir, and to keep a close watch on Sides 2 and 6."  
  
"We already have a base at Riah, remember?" he replied in a very muted tone. Riah was a top-secret base, known only to high-ranking Generals.  
  
"It's too small to be effective sir, you know that, besides, it ought to provide a lot of distraction for the Zeon fleet," he concluded.  
  
Tianmen frowned. The only reason he had agreed to the forming of the 17th was because it could provide a useful distraction to the Zeon fleet. In his plan, the 17th wasn't supposed to fight at all, all it needed to do was to convince Zeon that the main invasion would go through Granada and hopefully divert substantial numbers of ships and MS into Side 2. The problem was, Nicolo wanted a REAL invasion of Granada, followed by an eventual attack straight into Side 3 instead of a possibly costly slog up Zeon's asteroid bases. The Federation would never allow that, he knew, since it would involve too many neutral territories, and too many helpless civilians, "Fine, but all they do is hold Malta and make a lot of noise, nothing more. Anything more, and you'll have to take it up with me AND Revil, understood?"  
  
"Yes sir," Nicolo replied. Tianmen could not tell the evil smile forming on the back of Nicolo's head.  
  
"Very well then, dismissed!"  
-----------------------------------  
Nicolo entered his office, elated that everything was going as HE had planned it. He quickly picked up a folder. It was a report from agent Shoemaker, a mid-level diplomat who was part of Zeon's delegation to Side 6. One of the very few informants they had, he usually gave them excellent information about Zeon fleet movements in Side 2 and 6, as well as protecting the location of the secret Federation base in the area. He picked up another folder detailing a plan he had formulated. Shoemaker would be quite a loss, he reflected, but it was for a good cause... and Shoemaker was a native of Side 3 anyway. A spacenoid.  
------------------------------------  
Ming looked quietly out in space. Two cruisers and a lot of men that he'd worked with in the past, lost in a single battle. Damn the Feds! And that humanoid type...  
  
"Captain, we've got new orders," Mike said as he joined Ming, "We're to join an attack on a Federation outpost. Probably the destination of that fleet we attacked."  
  
"Have they been informed of the fleet's strength?" he inquired.  
  
"Yes, and they've brought some new gadgets for us to play with. Don't worry, we'll get back at them."  
  
Ming nodded. Mike was always enthusiastic. But he had a lot of things to fight for, while all he had left was his sister. He sighed and smiled lightly, merely thinking of her was enough to calm him down all the time.  
-----------------------------------  
Juan was lucky as usual. Most of the damage was superficial and wouldn't have been fatal. Except for one that is. His GM now had a nice fist sized hole neatly transfixed just a scant twenty centimeters from a fuel tank. Any closer and Juan would have been space dust. All the members of the 44th except the Captain and John were in the hanger now, marveling at Juan's luck.   
  
"Juan... next time..." Maurice started angrily as she pinched Juan's ear.  
  
"I know, I know..." he moaned, "Don't be in a hurry to die, I know..."  
  
"It should be us who's mad," the chief mechanic interjected as he handed Maurice the repair report, "We have to get him a new shield, and it'll take us the better part of a day to return it to operational status. But he is one damn lucky kid."  
  
"Yeah, he is," Fred answered for Juan with a smile while he struggled to get out of Maurice's grasp, "Come on Maurice, lay off him already, he learns pretty quickly you know..."  
  
"Alright..." Maurice replied as she let go of his ear. Juan then quietly slinked away, embarrassed and trying to massage his swollen ear. Sheesh, Fred thought, all because Juan didn't follow what MAX had said...  
  
"Ahem," the chief mechanic interrupted, "The report also says that we are short of a couple of mechanics and help would be VERY APPRECIATED," he finished sarcastically.  
  
"But we're pilots, aren't we supposed..." Eric started. He worked pretty lenient shifts in Jaburo, and had never really been in a full-scale wartime operation.  
  
"Work now, complain later," Sylvie answered for him as she picked up a wrench, "Besides, being a mechanic is enjoyable at times." She'd done it often enough while on Earth, assisting the Company's mechanics and learning a few tricks. Then she remembered who was with her in those lessons. Pat, a crazy guy but a good driver and mechanic. Her enthusiasm went down a notch.  
  
"Well, my skills are getting rusty..." Max added as he picked up a toolbox. Sylvie managed to forget about those two for a moment and grin, remembering Max had been a mechanic before the war. Her grin quickly transformed into a frown as she remembered what happened afterwards... and the role she had played in it.  
---------------------------------------  
The shift had changed, but John was still in his station, helping a junior techie to tune the radars to maximize their performance. Major Alfonso had warned Sean about this, but never thought that he was serious. As long as they were in hostile territory, John was never away from his console for more than thirty minutes. Just enough time to eat and stretch his legs. He even SLEPT in the bridge itself, assigning himself a chair in the back to lie down upon when he got sleepy. Not that he slept much anyway. He was a strange and somewhat impolite officer, but he was beginning to understand why Aldolfo had liked the kid. He had a good heart, but he was modest about it, never outwardly showing it to others but always keeping it a part of himself as though it was just a part of his uniform.  
  
Admit it Sean... he told himself, you're wondering why Cynthia has fallen for him, and whether he's good enough or not. He frowned. He'd always sworn to himself that he'd let his daughter be free in choosing her future husband unlike how he and Patricia had been treated by their families, but now he was falling into the same spell. He sighed, nature just always found ways to punish you for the deeds you did in the past...  
----------------------------------------  
The most important part of espionage is obtaining information. Equally important was how to pass that information. Shoemaker was no exception to this rule. Before going home after a day at work at the embassy, he passed by Riah's public library to pick up a book. It was an ancient Chinese text, one that he had hoped to translate to read to his niece. But neatly tucked in page 34 of the book was a loose slip of paper containing seemingly random symbols on it. It was the coded instructions for Shoemaker's next mission.  
-----------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	20. Chapter 20: Starting Line

Chapter 20: Starting Line  
  
The colony looked beautiful, Sylvie thought. It was getting overcrowded after the Federation had stopped building new colonies, but the administration seemed to be doing particularly well in keeping the colony's millions of inhabitants happy. But there was one person in particular that she wanted to meet.  
  
"Oh, hello Sylvie," Max greeted her with a smile as he found her waiting in the dock. She smiled back. He had such a sweet smile, especially when...  
  
But then the smile quickly turned into a look of horror. Max raised his hand, pointing at something behind her. She turned to see a huge humanoid machine towering above her. It aimed a rocket, straight at her, and the world around her suddenly seemed to be engulfed in flames...  
-----------------------------------  
"Time for your shift Sylvie," a familiar voice called over the intercom. It was John.  
  
"Yeah... I'll... I'll be there soon," Sylvie replied as she got up from her bed. It was wet from sweat. She had another nightmare, another damn nightmare of... ****. Why did this war have to happen? She asked herself. And why did I have to meet him just before it started? Why did fate always hand them both such cruel destinies? She sighed. Why...   
------------------------------------  
"Boy, this is getting serious..." John muttered quietly at his post. It had taken a while for him to wake Sylvie up, and he had heard her cry out just before responding to his calls. It had taken some self-control to pretend that he had not heard that, but he knew it was necessary. Sylvie just didn't want to talk about it no matter how many times he tried, and doing so only made the situation worse for her.  
  
"Lieutenant Gressier reporting," Sylvie declared as she entered the room. A bone tired junior technician, Sergeant Bennington, nodded as he let her take over his console, happy that he was finally going to get some sleep.   
  
"Sleep soundly Sylvie?" John asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess..." Sylvie replied in a rather insincere tone.  
  
"Good," John replied in an even tone. Damn it Sylvie, what the hell keeps bothering you anyway?  
---------------------------------------  
"Damn, the wreckage is getting worse," General Dolvich observed. They were only about 5 hours away from Malta Base now, but they were now encountering more and more debris from Side 2. This was the reason why Malta had survived for quite some time behind enemy territory, it was just so difficult to navigate through this junk. Fortunately, they had already staked out a clear route to follow, and hopefully they could probably get there without much delay.   
--------------------------------------  
Dec. 5, UC 0079 Fire Base Malta, Outer Defense Perimeter "Charlie Line"  
  
"Enemy has broken through Charlie line!" a Sabrefish pilot screamed as he saw several Zakus destroy the last of Malta Base's outer defense satellites. A moment later he was blotted out by machine gun fire from one of the Zakus.  
  
"Damn it," Lieutenant Jean Powell muttered as he pulled him GM back from its forward position. The Zeon fleet at Side 2 had been attacking them for two days now, and they were heavily outnumbered. Despite that, the defense force had managed to keep them at bay with the help of the fixed defenses they had installed in its outer perimeter. Not today, the Zeon force composed of two Tibes, eight Musais and a total of thirty escorting MS had come in full force, and the Federal Forces had been pushed back to their second defense line. There would be only one more before they reached the actual base.   
  
"I count six Sabrefish, and a pair of Balls, that's all that made it out of Charlie Line," his wingman Norton Willis reported as he pulled his GM beside Jean's, "We're getting twelve more Sfish and 8 Balls from the main base, plus the cruisers Brandywine and Saratoga. I don't think we can hold them for long," he concluded.  
  
"****! Tell'm to send more reserves! We're being shot piecemeal here!" he replied angrily as he nestled his GM into its "space bunker," which was really just some space debris gathered for camouflage and protection, "Who's the commanding officer in charge of Bravo Line?"  
  
"Till the Brandywine and Saratoga arrives, you're it," he replied grimly, "The Captain didn't make it. And the cruiser Jena's been blown to pieces."  
  
He muttered a curse. The cowardly commander of the base was still keeping himself and his Magellan from the battle, as well as the fourth Salamis. With all the losses, he doubted he could hold for long. In the midst of the battle one thought suddenly entered his mind. How the hell did they find this base so quickly anyway?  
----------------------------------------  
Shoemaker sat quietly as a pair of Zeon guards carefully observed him. His luck had finally run out, he reflected. He had been finally caught two days ago carrying illegal documents. Documents detailing top-secret Federation bases in Sides 2 and 6. He was SUPPOSED to have passed them to another Federation agent in Granada, but instead he found himself meeting a team of Zeon counter intelligence specialists. He was a dead man, he realized, and they were just keeping him here until they could send him to interrogation experts to suck every last bit of information in his brain. He didn't want it to come to this. He wanted to live to see the day that the Zabis would be overthrown and the "true" Zeon be restored, but now...   
  
"Alright, I'm going to sign the confession now, I'll tell you everything I know," he told the guards. One immediately produced a document. It was a document announcing that he was a spy and traitor to Zeon.  
  
He picked up a pen in his pocket and opened the cap. Unknown to the guards, the cap had contained a pill to be used just for this occasion. In a quick motion he tapped the pill into his hand and put it in his mouth. The guards had just realized what he was doing when he swallowed the pill. They frantically tried to make him vomit, but it was too late. The poison was a strong one, and Shoemaker died almost instantly.  
--------------------------------------------  
"Brandywine's bridge is hit! All officers are dead!" a panicking radio officer reported.  
  
"That puts you in charge again," Willis said as he shot and killed a Zaku that had come close to their position. The Saratoga had already been hit a few minutes ago, and its officer corps had met the same fate as the Brandywine's.   
  
"Contact the ****ING Commander! Tell him to send us more men, or we start running! NOW!"  
---------------------------------------------  
"Sir, they are requesting more units," an aide reported to Brigadier General Lidell Unger in the bridge of his flagship, the Albuquerque.  
  
"What are the reserves?" he asked.  
  
"Twelve Publics, another twelve Sabrefish, four regular Balls, four K type Balls, the Monmouth, and us sir," he replied quickly and worriedly.  
  
"Send in the Publics. And prepare the demolition charges."  
  
"But sir... the demolition charge... it's a..."  
  
"I know."   
-----------------------------------------------  
Jean had already killed three Zakus, but now he was running out of places to hide. Each GM and Ball had been provided with three alternate firing positions. Two of his were gone now, vaporized by Zeon guns, and the he was being forced to abandon the third. He got out just before a volley of mega particle beams destroyed his last bunker.   
  
All around him, the defense line was literally falling apart. Out of the 18 gun and missile defense satellites that had guarded Bravo line, 11 had been destroyed by the Zakus. One Musai was slowly limping away from the hits it had suffered from those defenses, but it wasn't enough. The rest of the force, a ragtag group of Balls and Sabrefish, were now valiantly fighting their Zeon adversaries in a wild melee in this cramped terrain, but it was clear who was getting the worse of it. His train of thoughts was interrupted by a transmission.  
  
"This is Torpedo Squadron, where do you want us?" the senior Public pilot asked.  
  
"****! Is that all they're going to send?"  
  
"Do you want us or not?!" he shot back angrily.  
  
"Yes! Take out those ships!"  
--------------------------------------------------  
The pilot of the lead Public nodded as he signaled the rest of his squadron to attack. This was definitely going to be hairy, but this was what the rush boat was all about. They piloted tiny craft whose sole purpose was to deliver their deadly missile loads to the enemy, no matter what happened to the craft, or to them for that matter.  
  
Twelve Publics quickly dove out of their hiding spots among the wreckage and headed straight for the enemy ships. Almost immediately, they were spotted by the Zakus who concentrated their fire on them. The lead Public was the first to go. A 120mm shell hit the warhead of one of his missiles, and the resulting detonation blew him and his craft apart. Three more followed him in less than a minute.  
  
But the eight surviving Publics pressed doggedly on. Now they were supported by the surviving Balls and Sabrefish who managed to exact a heavy toll on the distracted Zakus. The Zeon ships then turned their attention to the Publics as well, and their fire killed two more. But by then the surviving six had reached optimal firing range.  
  
Each Public carried two missiles, each enough to severely damage a cruiser. The surviving Publics managed to fire all twelve missiles at the enemy fleet, though two were downed just before launching their loads. One more died before they could get away to safety. But it would not be in vain.  
  
The first four headed for the fleeing Musai, and the damaged cruiser could not evade. Its two surviving escort Zakus tried to stop the missiles heading for it, one even blocked a missile with his own Mobile Suit, taking for himself the missile meant for his ship. But it would not be enough as all three remaining missiles hit the Musai. Its reactor cooked off a second later, with the resulting explosion taking its surviving escort with it as well.  
  
Other missiles were less lucky. Three were downed by Zakus, one malfunctioned and failed to detonate when it impacted the Zeon flagship, while two missed entirely. But two hit a second Musai, both in almost precisely the same spot at the forward turret area. The resulting explosion broke the ship in half, sending dozens of men flying out into space as the escaping air sucked them out of the ship. The top half carrying the bridge then suddenly exploded, killing nearly everybody caught outside and rocking the bottom half. The bottom half then floated on helplessly, scorched and battered, but it was more fortunate. The Kommusai attached to it was still operational, and the survivors just managed to clamber on to the small craft and escape with their lives.  
------------------------------------------  
"Koln and Aachen have been sunk. The Mobile Suit commander is reporting heavy losses, he reports seven Zakus destroyed and twelve damaged," the cruiser Wilhelm's Executive Officer reported to his commander, Major General Arthur Hill.  
  
General Arthur barely nodded. He was still a little shaken by the dud that had hit his ship earlier. If that thing had exploded... He shook his head, "Alright, pull our troops back to the outer defense line. We'll repair the damage we've suffered and attack again in four hours."  
  
"Yes sir," the XO replied, and soon a flurry of transmissions were sent to the waiting Zeon ships.  
------------------------------------------  
Their attack had done it, Jean thought. He was relieved, had the Zeon troops pressed on he knew they would have had it for sure...  
  
"Lieutenant, you think they'll come back?" Willis asked as he pulled his badly damaged GM beside his. But he was more fortunate than their Captain whose GM had been vaporized by a direct hit from a Tibe even before he could get out of Charlie Line.  
  
"They'll most certainly be back. How many do we have left anyway?" he inquired.  
  
"Don't make me count them Jean..." he replied in a tired tone as he pointed to all the wreckage around them. There was hardly anybody left, he realized. The two cruisers were both severely damaged, while only nine Sabrefish and five Balls remained out of the defenders. They needed help, fast, and the 17th fleet was still hours away...  
------------------------------------------------  
General Unger nodded as he got the report from Bravo Line. A distress call was sent to the 17th fleet a few minutes later.  
-----------------------------------------------  
"Sir, I have a flash traffic from Malta," Sylvie reported as she tried to tune in on the rather weak message, "****... They're under major attack! They are requesting for immediate support!"  
  
Sean scowled, "What's the composition of the enemy fleet?"  
  
"Didn't say sir... ****! I've lost them!" she reported angrily, "Trying to reestablish contact..."  
  
"Contact the Amerigo, inform them of the situation!"  
------------------------------------------------  
"Did they say the composition of the enemy force?" General Dolvich inquired. He was barely able to contain his frustration. Malta had managed to remain undetected for quite a long time, and it just HAD to be discovered before...  
  
"Unknown sir, the Spruance lost the transmission," the radio officer replied coolly.  
  
He considered the situation for a moment. It was never wise to split your own force when the enemy outnumbered you, but in this case it seemed he had no choice. "Get me Patterson!"  
--------------------------------------------------  
"Sir! Unidentified ship off the port bow! Bearing 330!" a lookout on the Wilhelm reported.  
  
"Hold your fire!" the XO declared, "It's a Musai. But who is..."  
  
"This is the Bremen," a voice told them over the radio, "Reporting for duty to the Zeon Side 2 fleet."  
---------------------------------------------------  
"Alright sir, understood," Patterson replied to General Dolvich as he finished relaying his orders.  
  
"What do we do now sir?" his XO asked.  
  
"We're going to make a speed run XO," he replied, "The Spruance, the Anzio, and the Gloucester will go ahead of the fleet to reinforce and hold Malta with whatever's left of the defense force until the rest of the fleet could arrive. So helm, head for Malta, flank speed." Within seconds Sean could feel the ship start accelerating forward.   
  
"Damn, couldn't those idiots have told us at least what we're facing?" John muttered angrily.  
  
"Any problem Lieutenant?" Sean inquired in an annoyed tone. This was not the time for finger pointing.  
  
"No sir..." John started, wishing the Colonel had not heard him. But he had an idea... "But sir, permission to speak freely? I may have an idea."  
  
"Make it quick Recto," he replied coldly.  
  
"How about sending the MS teams ahead of the fleet once we get into range? It'll take the ships around two hours to get there if everything goes well. The Mobile Suits could probably reach it in one."  
  
"That'd leave us pretty exposed Lieutenant," Sean replied, but he was seeing his point.  
  
"But sir, if we don't we might be too late sir. Twelve Mobile Suits aren't that powerful a force, but Zeon probably isn't expecting them yet. The delay they could cause may buy us just enough time. And at least once we get there we have a better idea of what we're facing."  
  
"He's convinced me sir," the XO added.  
  
Sean made a mental note to thank Alfonso for promoting John. Sergeants weren't allowed to talk like that, but Lieutenants were, though they rarely did, "Alright, we'll launch the MS force once we get into range. But you'd better keep your eyes open Magic."  
  
"Yes sir," John replied, glad the Colonel didn't ignore him. But Sylvie looked at him disapprovingly. Oh ****, he thought to himself. His suggestion, though probably the best course of action, also put the MS force in the greatest risk. And he was already beginning to notice something about Sylvie Gressier...  
---------------------------------------------  
"We didn't know the enemy fleet was getting that close," General Arthur replied as Colonel Jefferson's concluded his report.   
  
"We sent the report to Granada, didn't you get it sir?" he inquired.  
  
"No, Granada didn't tell us anything. Only to attack the enemy base."  
  
Jefferson scowled as he heard that. Many of his men had died to learn about the whereabouts of the enemy fleet, and a communications or intelligence foul up had wasted it, "How long before the next attack sir?"  
  
"It was supposed to be four hours. But time is of the essence, we attack in an one hour."  
------------------------------------------------  
"How long is the transit time?" General Dolvich asked.  
  
"For the MS teams, one hour. For the three ships, about two as long as they don't run into anything. The rest of the fleet will still take at least four hours," the XO replied.  
  
Dolvich simply nodded. He could only hope they could get there in time.  
------------------------------------  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	21. Chapter 21: Shootout at Malta

Chapter 21: Shootout at Malta  
  
"Chief, have you finished loading it yet?" Captain Karl asked the head mechanic as he boarded his GM. In addition to the 240mm Cannon, his GM was also supposed to be equipped with a beam pistol and a couple of grenades.  
  
"Not yet, but it'll be done it time. You don't want me forget something don't you?" he replied. The 44th was going out on a solo mission, and it was imperative that they were properly armed.  
  
"Chief, where's my sniper rifle?" Max asked suddenly.  
  
"We've already loaded it, didn't you check?" he replied in a slightly annoyed tone.  
  
"Not the beam one, the shell firing one."  
  
"Why the hell would you want that piece of junk?!" he asked angrily. A beam rifle was a far better weapon than a shell firing one, why the hell did he ask for one anyway?  
  
"Please, just load it sir," Max requested reasonably.  
  
"I'll have to get rid of a couple of grenades and bazooka shells, but that's your choice Lieutenant," the Chief replied in a confused tone. What the heck was Rifle up to?  
-------------------------------------------  
Juan checked his GM's loadout just before he strapped himself into the cockpit. A bazooka with five shells, three HE grenades, a beam spray gun, a 90mm machine gun with three extra clips, and the customary beam saber. Pretty heavy load, he thought. Fred's GM was also similarly armed, but not Eric's.  
  
"Why are you loading all these extra clips on my GM?" Eric asked as a couple of mechanics started to attach a backpack filled with ammunition on his GM.  
  
"You're also the Company's mobile ammo dump," the mechanic replied in playful tone, "They can't carry an infinite amount of bullets you know. Don't worry, just drop the pack off before the firing starts."  
  
"What if we get ambushed?" he asked worriedly.  
  
"You'll probably end up dead anyway, just with a bigger explosion."  
  
"Great."  
-----------------------------------------------  
Maurice checked her GM's systems as she boarded her Light Armor as well. She carried slightly less weapons than the others, only a beam rifle and three grenades, but she wasn't worried about that. Her Light Armor was designed for maneuverability and speed, not firepower. She checked her clock before asking the Captain, "Sir, how many more minutes before we go?"  
  
"Twelve minutes. As long as the mechanics can finish loading in time," he replied coolly.  
  
"We CAN!" the now familiar voice of the chief mechanic interjected, "Now stop complaining!"  
-------------------------------------------------  
Sylvie muttered a curse as her seventh attempt to contact Malta Base failed. Damn it, she thought, she HAD to find out more information. Lives were at stake. Or was it just... she shook her head before completing the thought, and tried again.  
------------------------------------------------  
Jean cringed as he saw the flashes from the Zeon guns. The Zeon ships had started bombarding their positions a few minutes ago, and they only had four guns left on the Brandywine and Saratoga to respond. The Monmouth was joining them soon, but they were still badly outgunned.  
------------------------------------------------  
"Pretty hard to make'm out in this wreckage sir," the pilot of the Zaku Flipper reported as he carefully observed the Federal positions.   
  
"I know that," Colonel Jefferson replied, "But we need more information on them. Try harder!"  
  
"Yes sir," the pilot replied simply. He knew Jefferson was a good CO, and he didn't want to disappoint him.  
  
"Jefferson," General Hill called over the radio, "We may have to delay the attack for around fifteen to twenty minutes."  
  
"Sir?" Jefferson asked, surprised, "The enemy fleet is getting near, if we don't..."  
  
"We've lost a lot of our Mobile Suits," the General replied, "I've called for a resupply Papua. They could get us six Rick Doms. We'll delay the attack till we get them."  
  
"But sir..." Jefferson started before stopping himself. The General was right. Federation ships couldn't go THAT fast. It was only fifteen minutes, after all, and he knew that he'd gained at least three hours on the enemy fleet when he escaped. But something told him he was making a mistake...  
-------------------------------------------------  
"We're in range sir!" John reported to Colonel Patterson.  
  
"Alright, launch Mobile Suits!"  
  
Outside, all six Mobile Suits eased their way out of the Spruance's hangar and headed in the direction of Fire Base Malta. Another six GMs from the Anzio and Gloucester followed them.  
  
"Good luck men," Patterson whispered as he watched them head off into the darkness. Their fates were now out of his hands.  
-------------------------------------------------  
Jean and the rest of the defense force breathe a collective sigh of relief as the firing subsided. The defenders had lost four Sabrefish and three Balls in the half hour long bombardment, but it wasn't that bad, and he was grateful to the engineers for providing them with good cover.  
  
"Jean, I'm back," Willis reported as he pulled his now patched up GM beside his. The engineers had nearly collapsed from exhaustion to fix it in record time, but at least he was back on the line. He'd even managed to nap a few minutes too, and was now looking somewhat human.  
  
"Glad to see you here. Boy do we need more Mobile Suits," he replied in a tired tone. He realized that he hadn't even had a proper sleep for two days now. Damn, he thought, I hope I don't doze off at the wrong time...  
-------------------------------------------------  
"So what is the enemy strength?" Ming asked as he pored over the map of the area. There was just so much debris to hide in, and he didn't want to get caught unaware.  
  
"We aren't sure," the fleet's MS Commander replied over the radio, "They have a sizable number of Balls and fighter craft, but we don't have exact numbers. Twenty to thirty, give or take. In addition, they have some fixed defense satellites, though they're mainly for anti-ship use. But the real problem are the humanoid types. We aren't sure how many there are, maybe as many as five. These new ones, they can carry..."  
  
"Beam weapons, I know. I've encountered them already," he replied coolly, "But they are not as good as our new equipment. A Rick Dom is more than a match for them."  
  
"But we only have seven of them when the Papua arrives. Plus your R-A type. It won't be easy."  
  
"But we can do it, right?" Ming asked confidently.  
  
"Yes, we can," but the voice that replied was not as confident.  
----------------------------------------------------  
"Damn, how did they ever get a base built in all this junk?" Juan remarked as he saw all the debris fly pass him. It was good, he reflected, that they had a clear albeit crooked path to follow.  
  
"According to the Colonel, some fighter jock got lost here and found this zigzag road while on patrol," Eric explained while he kept his eyes on his radar screen, "On the other end of this path is a colony. What's left of it that is. It's largely been destroyed by a Zeon nuke, but the dock area was still intact. They figured it'd make a good spot for a base and started to fix the docks into a base around three months ago. And THAT is the result," he continued, as he pointed to something in front of him.  
  
All the members of the 44th turned their attention to what was in front of them and saw their destination, Fire Base Malta.  
  
Max looked on impassively as the colony came into view. It reminded him of his past, but he had long since gone beyond that. Though at what cost... he shook his head and began assessing the status of the base. Its main hull was the dock area of a now destroyed colony, the rest of which had become the debris that camouflaged this base. It had been heavily modified, he noticed, now being armed with several beam gun turrets and radar facilities. But something he saw struck him as odd. Why the hell was the Magellan still here he realized, as his gaze shifted to the dock area, when a battle was supposedly going around?  
  
"Malta Base, this is Captain Karl Grunther of 44th Company from the 17th fleet, do you read us?" Captain Karl hailed.  
  
"Malta Base command here, boy are we glad to see you. Where's the rest of the fleet?" the voice asked.  
  
"They'll take more than hour. We're here to help you hold Malta till then. What is your situation?"  
  
"The Zeeks have stopped their attack around an hour ago. But we think they'll be making another push. Your fuel must be pretty low now sir. We have the docks ready to take you in," the voice offered.  
  
"Alright, thanks," Karl replied. Running out of fuel was one of his main concerns, and he was glad that they had the sense to prepare for them, "Alright men, time for a pit stop."  
-----------------------------------  
"Haven't they tried out those Rick Doms before?" Ming asked as he saw the rather dismal performance of the fleet's new Rick Dom force.  
  
"No, they were trained on Zakus, and the new Zimmand machines take a little time to get used to," the MS commander replied.  
  
"Crap," Ming muttered. Without good pilots, it was quite likely that the new MS's capabilities would be wasted. Maybe they'd do better under fire, but...  
-------------------------------------  
Karl was impressed by the speed in which the engineers finished the refueling. Less than five minutes by his clock. Too bad the commanding General wasn't as sharp. Now he and the rest of the teams were approaching Malta Base's second line of defense, Bravo Line.  
  
"You the guys from the 17th Fleet?" a haggard looking Lieutenant asked them form the cockpit of his battered GM.  
  
"Yes, and who might you be?" Captain Karl asked back.  
  
"I was the commander of the MS force, I guess you're that now sir," he replied as he saw his rank insignia, "Major Gearing on the Monmouth has overall command of this sector."  
  
"Thank you Lieutenant, any advice you could give us?"  
  
"We've built a LOT of space bunkers for MS and Balls. If you let me, me and the rest of the guys will lead your men to the best spots. We've arranged those bunkers to give us good coverage of the enemy positions, and we've also prepared alternates in case your first bunker gets toasted. Oh, and ammo dump is over there," he continued as he pointed to a large piece of debris, "You can store your spare clips there now if you want."  
  
"Eric, you know what to do," Captain Karl ordered. Eric nodded as he headed for the dump, glad that he was finally getting rid of his extra explosives, "Got a good perch for a sniper?" he inquired.  
  
"Yeah, want me to show it to him?"  
  
"Yes, we'd better finish preparing soon. There is no telling when the enemy will attack again." He was right.  
-----------------------------------------  
"Dispositions are completed sir," the XO reported to General Hill.  
  
"How many MS do we have now?" he inquired.  
  
"Seven Rick Doms, an R Type, and fifteen Zakus. We didn't have enough time to fix more."  
  
General Hill merely grunted in reply. He wasn't sure if it was enough, but time was of the essence. The attack would start in five minutes.  
----------------------------------------  
"This is a pretty good view," Max observed as he settled into the spot. It was really just some space debris patched together for protection and camouflage, but it had a clear line of sight to the enemy fleet.  
  
"Yeah, problem is that once you start shooting they'll probably spot you easily. Pretty easy to trace a beam fired from here..."  
  
"Don't worry, that's why I have this," Max replied as he tapped his rifle.  
  
"Oh, a shell firing one eh? Clever. But don't stay here too long, alright?" he cautioned.  
  
"Don't worry, trust me."  
------------------------------------------  
"Alpha squad here, we're all set," the commander of the Anzio's MS team reported.  
  
"Bravo, ready as well," the Gloucester's MS commander continued.  
  
"Alright, 44th MS, are you all ready?" Captain Karl inquired from his position just behind the frontline. He was stationed there because his MS was a support type, after all, but also for better command and control.  
  
"Everybody is set, except for Maurice sir, give them another minute," Eric answered for them.  
  
A volley of beams suddenly lanced out from the darkness and hit the Federal positions. A second one followed it as the preliminary Zeon bombardment began. It seems that Zeon wasn't about to give Maurice another minute.  
-----------------------------------------------  
Maurice cringed as she saw the beams come, and had just barely managed to evade. A Ball behind her was less lucky, and was vaporized by a direct hit from a Musai. She managed to hide herself among the wreckage while more beams came. Sometimes finding their mark, but all too often not. By the end of the two minute long bombardment, two Balls and one of the Gloucester's GMs lay dead, but the rest of the force was still intact. But that was only the start of it, she realized, as she saw the Zeon line begin to advance...  
------------------------------------------------  
Here they come... Max thought as he aimed his rifle. His gun was a custom shell-firing sniper rifle that was designed for the yet unfinished GM Sniper II. It was not as powerful as a beam rifle, but it had other redeeming qualities. Unlike beam rifles, it did not register a significant visual signature when it was fired, making it a perfect stealth weapon. And its special armor piercing rounds were good enough to kill a MS in one shot anyway, as long as you know what to hit.  
  
His first target would be an S-Type Zaku. Like before, officers would be his main prey. His first shot hit the Zaku right in the cockpit, and the now pilotless Zaku abruptly loss control and rammed into another one. He fired a second shot, this time at the S type's main propellant tank, and the resulting explosion blew both Mobile Suits apart. The enemy force by now had begun to try to frantically locate their assailant, but by then the defense force had begun to engage them, and they had no time to continue their search.   
  
Max took aim at his next victim, a Rick Dom squad leader trying to give covering fire to his team. His exquisitely aimed shot hit the bazooka, right on the ammunition compartment, and it abruptly exploded, taking its Mobile Suit with it. Unfortunately for Max though, a second Rick Dom had spotted him this time, and was aiming his 360mm bazooka at him. Max quickly turned his attention to the second Dom and squeezed of a round. The bullet impacted it on the mono eye and temporarily blinded the enemy Mobile Suit. Before its backup camera could go on line, two more shots impacted the Rick Dom, right in the reactor area, and the Mobile Suit exploded, pieces of it flying off in all directions.  
  
Max decided, that it was now time to leave. A Zeon cruiser was now aiming its guns at his position, and it was always better to quit while he was ahead. By the time a volley of beams had decimated his bunker, he was already gone.  
---------------------------------------------  
Juan fired his last bazooka shell at an incoming Zaku. Hit. He would've grinned, but he had only managed to kill one Zaku with five shots, and a Musai cruiser was now aiming its guns right at him...  
  
"Get to the alternate!" Eric screamed as he began to scramble out of his bunker. Before he could do so a pair of beams hit his position.   
  
"ERIC!" Juan screamed as he saw that. He realized that he might suffer the same fate if he didn't move, and he just managed to get out of the bunker before a volley of beams destroyed it.  
  
Eric was alive, but his GM had lost both legs, and his backup thrusters were malfunctioning. He muttered a curse before saying, "I'm hit! I need help!"  
  
Juan nodded as he began to dart to Eric's position, firing his 90mm while he did so. He turned and saw another GM from the Anzio's group start assisting him, but before they could both get away a second volley of beams vaporized them both. Juan simply froze, completely in shock...  
  
"Look out Juan!" Fred warned as he fired at a Zaku aiming for Juan.   
  
Juan belatedly realized that he was still in a fight, and quickly shifted his aim to the approaching Zaku. He took a few hits, but the E-type's Luna Titanium armor deflected most of it off. His return fire though, was far more deadly. Fully a dozen 90mm shells hit the unfortunate Zaku, and its reactor cooked off a moment later. Juan, seeing himself exposed out in the open, quickly darted for his alternate position.  
  
"Forget it kid, you couldn't have..." Fred started.  
  
"I know Sarge, I know... but ****!" he replied angrily as he fired a volley of 90mm shells. He emptied his clip, but one of the Zakus was now trailing smoke. Fred fired another burst that finished that Zaku off, but then several new enemy suits began to pepper their positions with bazooka fire. A GM tried to charge them, but two direct hits blew it apart. Two more Balls followed him.  
  
"We can't take much more of this!!!" Fred screamed as he barely evaded a 360mm shell, "Command! we've lost four GMs and nearly all the Balls, We need help, fast!"  
-----------------------------------------------  
"We are losing too many men!" the deputy MS commander reported. His senior was already dead, killed by a Federation sniper, and he was beginning to think he'd share the same fate, "Seven Zakus are down, so are two Rick Doms. We need more men to storm this position!"  
  
"General, the enemy fleet..." Colonel Jefferson reminded.  
  
"I know, but their defenses are proving more formidable than we expected. I'm requesting for additional reinforcements. Let's stop this before we waste more lives. Don't worry Jefferson, this is MY responsibility."  
  
Jefferson nodded. Granada wouldn't like to have to send more men, but he was right, they were losing too many men, "Ming!" he called.  
  
"Yes sir?" Ming replied anxiously. He and Mike were being kept in reserve, and he desperately wanted to get into the fight.  
  
"You have permission to launch, cover our retreat."  
  
"Yes sir," was the stoic reply.  
---------------------------------------------------  
"They're falling back?" Maurice asked, surprised. The defense force was at the brink of collapsing, why were those Zeek *******s running away? Her question was suddenly interrupted by a bazooka shell that nearly took her GM's head off.  
  
"Damn, missed," Ming muttered as he adjusted him aim. Behind him, Mike fired a second shot at the GM, but it also missed.  
  
"****! Help I'm under..." Maurice started before she felt a sudden jolt. She felt a chill through her entire body, think that it was it. But no explosion came, and she realized much to her relief that she had only lost an arm. But before she could celebrate an orange Zaku suddenly popped up right in front of her, mono-eye flashing. She tried to aim her beam rifle, but before she could the Zaku viciously kicked her Light Armor in the chest. She moaned as she tried to get up... knowing that the finishing blow would be next...  
  
But it never came. Before she realized what was happening a second GM had entered into the fray and was squaring off with the Zaku with his beam saber. The GM had the advantage of surprise, but before he could make full use of it a shot from Mike's Rick Dom killed him. Maurice angrily aimed her beam rifle at the Rick Dom, missing the first shot but hitting it with her second. But the hit wasn't fatal, and the Rick Dom began to limp away.  
  
"Damn it! I'll get you!" Ming shouted as he saw Mike nearly get killed. He kicked the GM's chest a second time, and its light armor finally cracked. He pulled away and started to aim his bazooka at the now helpless GM. But before he could fire a second GM had arrived to protect her. It was the green one he had earlier encountered. The one that he so wanted to fight.  
  
"I'm not going to let you get her!" Max declared as he aimed his rifle. The image of his GM hovered in Maurice's mind. He's always just there for me... Maurice thought with a slight smile, before passing out from a concussion that she had suffered.   
  
"Sorry Mr. Sniper, I'll have to fight you another time," Ming said as he retreated, fire still trailing him. Much as he wanted to, he wanted to make sure Mike was alright first. In any case he'd meet that guy again...   
------------------------------------------------- 


	22. Chapter 22: Replacements

Chapter 22: Replacements  
  
"How did we do Fred?" Captain Karl asked as he fired a few parting rounds at the retreating Zeon MS. Before Fred could respond one of his shots struck true, and an unfortunate Rick Dom went down in flames.  
  
"We've lost two guys from the Gloucester, and the Anzio's squad leader is dead. The rest of the defense force did scarcely better. We're down to eleven Sabrefish and one GM. The other GM and the rest of the Balls are dead. And sir..."  
  
"Alright, what about us?" he asked grimly.  
  
"Eric's dead. Maurice is wounded too. Max is bringing her in," Fred replied in a quiet tone. Eric was just a new member, but he had been a good kid.  
  
Captain Karl simply nodded. He wasn't surprised. Eric and the other GM teams did not have the same experience as the 44th had, and so it had been more likely that they would end up as casualties, even if their GMs had been programmed with combat data gathered by the Gundam. But it was still a horrible waste.   
  
"Do you think they'll be back sir?" Juan asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm not sure, Rifle, see anything?" Karl inquired. Max's GM had the best optics, after all.  
  
"They're digging in," Max reported coolly, "They're probably waiting for reinforcements before trying again. We did take out a lot of their MS."  
  
"Yes, looks like it," Karl concurred, "But be on your guard. The rest of the fleet is still half an hour away."  
--------------------------------------  
"Ouch, it was that close?" Mike asked as he observed the damage on his Rick Dom.  
  
"Yeah, looks like it," Ming replied as he looked in amazement how close it had been. The beam had missed the reactor by barely a whisker. It was so close that the reactor's outer shell had been blackened by the heat of the beam. Damn the Feds, how could they have developed compact beam weapons ahead of us? he wondered.  
  
"At least I'm still here," Mike replied in a slightly cheerful tone. Eight Zakus and three Rick Doms had not returned from the last battle, and though it wasn't something to be cheerful about, surviving a close shave like this was. Especially when it was THAT close...  
-------------------------------------  
Maurice moaned as she opened her eyes. Her head still hurt, an after effect of the concussion, but she immediately felt a hand holding her forehead. She smiled, it was Max.  
  
"You have a light concussion," he said as he felt a bump on her head, "But it won't be enough to keep you from flying. They still have to fix up your Light Armor though."  
  
"How's my MS," Maurice asked, almost regretful that the moment couldn't last any longer, "How bad?"  
  
"The big thing is the arm, that'll take some time to replace, but you should be back by the end of the day."  
  
"End of the day..." Maurice started, "****! Wait a minute... what about..."  
  
"The Zeeks are holding back for the moment," Max replied, "You've been out quite a while you know. The Spruance has already arrived, and they'll be finished docking soon."  
  
"Oh... damn, sorry," she replied.  
  
"No worries, get some rest. We don't know when the Zeeks will be coming back."  
----------------------------------------  
"Who didn't make it?" Sylvie asked worriedly as she met Fred in the dock.  
  
"Sharps, Nigel, Willis, Grant and..." Fred reported before pausing.  
  
"Who?!" Sylvie demanded.  
  
"Eric, Eric's dead."  
  
"Ho... How?" Sylvie asked, partly relieved, mostly shocked.  
  
"His bunker got hit by Zeon beams. He got out, but his thrusters got shot. The second volley killed him..." Fred reported solemnly.  
  
"Anybody else hurt?" Sylvie asked quietly, her voice still shaking.   
  
"Maurice took a bump on the head, but she'll be okay. Max is watching out for her."  
  
Sylvie simply nodded before turning away. Damn it, why do so many people have to die in this stupid war?! She thought angrily. But the answer never came. It never did.  
------------------------------------------  
"Want me to help you?" John asked as he joined Juan in Eric's room. Juan nodded, deathly quiet as he went about the job of gathering Eric's personal belongings. He had been there when it happened, and this was the second time...  
  
"Look Juan, Fred filled me in, you couldn't have..."  
  
"I've been told that hundreds of times, and personally I'm sick of it!" Juan replied angrily, "Damn it, if I'd been a little faster..."  
  
"You'd be space dust too," he replied matter-of-factly.   
  
Juan looked as if he was going to punch John already, before stopping himself and saying, "What about his family then?! How can I explain to them..."  
  
"All you could tell them is that he did his duty, and died bravely. That's all, because that's the truth," John replied firmly, "He's dead now, and you can't bring him back, and it wasn't your fault. All you can do now is to keep on living, and hope for the best."  
  
"How the hell could you put aside your feelings like that?" Juan asked, still mad but his temper was subsiding.  
  
"I don't," John replied honestly, "I'm like a bamboo tree. I bend over to the wind when it gets too strong, but I do it gently so I don't snap. That's why I act weird all the time I guess... it's my outlet."  
  
"I don't think I could be like that," Juan replied.  
  
"You don't have to. Each person has a different way of coping. But in a war, you have to learn it pretty quickly," John explained.  
  
"How about you? How did you learn to cope?"   
  
John merely shrugged, but it was a lie. He knew exactly how he became the man he was today...  
-------------------------------------   
Jan 22, UC 0069- Quezon City Medical Facility, Philippines  
  
"Mommy, please hold on... I'm sure Daddy will be back soon. He always does, doesn't he? Then you could be happy again..." little Cynthia Patterson begged her now dying mother, Patricia von Bock Patterson.  
  
"Oh Cynthia... I want to... I really want to..." Patricia told her only child as she lovingly held her hand while she lay in a hospital bed. Medicine had improved a lot, but there were still some diseases that science could still not beat. Even with a strong spirit like hers.  
  
"Then hold on! I'm sure he'll be back!" Cynthia repeated as she climbed onto the bed and hugged her mother tightly, sobbing as she did so.   
  
Patricia simply sighed as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She knew Sean was on his way, but he was still in space and it would take too long. She hoped that the war the Federation was preparing for would never come... that her brother and husband wouldn't face each other in the battlefield, but now, she knew that she'd never live to see if that would happen. "Cynthia... I need you to promise me..."  
  
"No mommy, no..." Cynthia begged.  
  
"I want to you to tell you Daddy, that I wanted to wait for him... that I really wanted to see him... one last time. But it's alright, it's alright... it was just...just so perfect when he's around... Please tell him that..."  
  
"Mommy..." Cynthia barely said, her face now covered with tears.  
  
"Cynthia... please, please promise me that."  
  
Cynthia nodded, but even more tears rolled down her cheeks.  
  
"Don't worry... even if I'm gone... you'd still have Daddy... and John... right John?" she said as she looked straight at the window. Sure enough, John was there, trying hard not to be seen but wanting to make sure that Cynthia would be alright. It was also just too bad she would never see those two grow up together... she thought, the two had really been a pair... both shy and reclusive...   
  
John sighed as he allowed himself to be seen. He knew this was wrong, he knew this was supposed to be a time only for the Patterson family, but Cynthia...she was his best friend, wasn't she? He quickly rubbed a few tears from his eyes. He knew the feeling... and now Cynthia...  
  
But no words could comfort a daughter about to lose her mother. And Cynthia wept on, barely noticing he was there. Then Patricia gently took her daughter and held her in her arms. She had grown so much since she was a baby... I wish I could see her grow up, but now... she thought, as she began to sing. It was an old lullaby she had always sung when her daughter was crying... and one that was always able to comfort her...  
  
Cynthia, looked straight at her mother's eyes as she heard her begin to sing, before hugging her tightly again and began to sing as well... adding her own voice to the mournful tune.  
  
John simply looked on, and kept wiping away the tears as they came. He turned away. It was too much now. But he still couldn't stop crying. You're ten now... he told himself. You shouldn't be a crybaby anymore... but it was impossible. His own dad had died the same way, telling him as he died that all he ever wanted was to be a good father to him. Now Cynthia was going to have to go through...   
  
The two of them kept singing on for what seemed like forever. Then one voice stopped, leaving only one young child's grieving voice behind. Then that voice stopped as well, replaced only by the sounds of footsteps running away. He sighed. He knew were Cynthia was going. But it wasn't his place, it wasn't his...  
  
But he needed to go, didn't he? He realized. She was HIS friend. The only friend he truly trusted, and now she was going through the same thing as he had. The least he could do, was to make sure she wasn't alone. He ran, even as rain began to fall. He ran all the way until he reached the spot, an old mango tree were Cynthia had used to play with her mother. She was there, soaking wet, and crying alone by herself under the tree. Singing the same lullaby her mother had sung to her so long ago...  
  
John walked close to her and began singing the same tune as well. She turned and looked straight at him, her eyes filled with sorrow and grief. John then sat beside her and squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, and began to look at him with a mixture of guilt and gratitude, wanting to ask...  
  
"Cynthia, I know what you're going through, and I'm here for you... I'll always will," John told her firmly, and she nodded, "Now let's get out of here before we both get sick," he continued as he stood up.  
  
As if on cue, the rain suddenly stopped, and Cynthia stood up beside him. She was still weeping, but at least now she knew she wasn't alone anymore. And, John also realized, so was he.  
------------------------------------  
And after that, John thought, the two of them were never the same. Both of them had been classmates by an interesting quirk of fate, he having been enrolled two years late due to money problems while she had been advanced one grade due to her high Kindergarten scores. Due to their ages they both got picked on by their classmates, and as a result they became good, albeit shy friends.   
  
Not after that though. After that, they'd remained friends, but never quite that close. Instead, both of them had begun to develop their talents, becoming outgoing and hardworking, and more often than not competing against each other. In the end they both finished high school at the top of the class. But he guessed what they shared that rainy January day had already been etched in both of their hearts... only to show up again the day he was about to leave for Hawaii...  
  
"John, that's the last of it," Juan reported as he finished packing Eric's belongings into a box. He took a long hard stare at it, before sighing and closing it.   
  
"You feel better now?" It was hard to say good bye, but afterwards...  
  
"Yeah, thanks John."  
  
"No problem, been helping people with their problems since I was a kid. It's always nice to see them get over it."  
  
"Have I?" Juan asked, as he left the room, carrying the box with him.  
------------------------------------  
John pondered on what he had done so many years before. Maybe he shouldn't have put his nose where it hadn't belonged, but he knew had done the right thing. The problem was, it wasn't always applicable to everybody. Unfortunately, he thought as she began to walk towards him, Sylvie was one of those people.  
  
Sylvie gave him a cold, hard stare before shouting, "Damn it John! Why the hell did you suggest that to the Colonel anyway!? Four of our pilots are dead, and Eric..."  
  
"I know!" he shot back angrily, "But how many more WOULD be dead if they weren't there?"  
  
Sylvie looked at him angrily. He was right, but to her it was a cold thing to do. Maybe she was wrong about him. Maybe the kindness she thought existed in his face was just an illusion, but then...  
  
"Look, you care very deeply about somebody in the team don't you? That's why you're mad."  
  
Sylvie frowned. Was she that obvious? "No," the lie rolled off her lips.  
  
"B***," John replied coldly.  
  
"Who are YOU to know anyway?!"  
  
"Well, I guess you haven't read this have you?" John asked as he gave her a sheet of paper.  
  
Sylvie quickly browsed through the sheet. It was, she realized, another reassignment order. She was being reassigned to pilot the GM Trainer, which was now being modified for the EWAC role. That struck her as odd. Who the hell recommended her to be a pilot anyway?! she realized. She had taken some lessons, and made some inquiries before the war but nobody had really known about it except Max and... OH ****, Colonel Dolvich.  
  
"Are you a pilot or not?" John asked.  
  
"I barely started trying it out when the war started, and never on a Mobile Suit. What's this got to do with you anyway?"  
  
"The EWAC GM Trainer is a two seater. I'm going to be the GM's Electronic Warfare Officer. Life sucks, and it'll even be worse if you go crazy on me while we're flying," he concluded.  
  
Sylvie looked at him and frowned. No way was she going to tell him anything, "I already told you, it's nothing, and don't worry, I think I did pretty well in the simulator... I hope."  
  
"You hope..." John replied doubtfully.  
  
"I mean I'm not so sure..." she admitted. Oh **** what have I gotten myself into?   
  
John sighed. That was one of the problems they hadn't anticipated. The fleet had a GM Trainer on board for repair duties, but no certified pilot. The closest thing they had to that was Sylvie. Of all the people... he thought. He really didn't want to let Cynthia down, but if this goes on...  
-----------------------------------------  
Another letter from John and Dad, Cynthia thought. Both had been very punctual with their letter sending, but their words, precious to her as they were, were still only a small comfort to her. Not with a war this bloody going on.  
-------------------------------------------  
Colonel Patterson wondered if Cynthia had received his letter. He'd learned the hard way that he should keep his promises, and going to the then barely completed Luna 2 to check out the space fleet had cost him his last chance to see Patricia. But what had surprised him then was how Cynthia had reacted. She had grown strong back then, telling him exactly what her mother's last wish was without shedding a tear while he himself did. She even sang the family lullaby to him, trying to comfort him... he shook his head as he realized his incredible luck, and wondered what John had done at that time.   
  
His wistful thought was soon replaced by a worried one. John was now being assigned to a Mobile Suit. He could have chosen somebody else, but he was the best choice. Unfortunately, now he was being put at greater risk, and he wasn't sure how his daughter would react to his death. He couldn't let her lose another one, could he?  
  
"Sir, I see'm! I've spotted the Amerigo!" a lookout reported.  
  
In any case, he thought, at least we won't be so outnumbered anymore.  
--------------------------------------   
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	23. Chapter 23: Roots

Chapter 23: Roots  
  
"What did they say?" Colonel Killing asked angrily from his desk. He was in charge of Granada base at the moment while the base commander was off to a meeting in Side 3, and now THIS.  
  
"They're requesting for more reinforcements sir," the aide reported coolly, "The base had far more formidable defenses than expected."  
  
"Request denied," he replied coolly.  
  
"I'm sure that you'll change your opinion once you see this," Cecilia Irene suddenly interjected as she entered his office and handed him a document.  
  
Killing quickly scanned the document. It was from Giren himself, ordering him to give whatever assistance necessary to the Side 2 fleet. Well, he thought, in that case, "Very well then. Send them what they need."  
  
"Good, here's the list," Cecilia replied with a slight smile as she handed him a data pad.  
  
It was a long one, but the top of the list immediately caught his attention, "Even the..."  
  
"Yes, any problem?"  
  
"No, none at all."  
  
"Good, tell them to change course immediately. I have other matters to attend to now..." she finished as she stepped out of the office. Her intelligence chief was waiting for her.  
  
"So, the Federation agent is dead?" Cecilia asked the intelligence chief.  
  
"Yes, the team failed to search him, and the Federation had obviously provided him with a suicide pill. The guards who failed to prevent him from killing himself have already been arrested," he replied coldly.  
  
"Any possible list of agents he was working with?" she inquired.  
  
"Only one, but the evidence is pretty weak. His niece, Mei Lin Chow," he reported.  
  
"Why haven't you arrested her?" she asked, slightly annoyed.  
  
"His brother is an ace, Captain Ming Chow. We want to make sure first, since we aren't sure how her brother might..."  
  
"Just arrest her and find out what she knows," she replied testily, "Or do YOU want to end up sharing her fate?"  
  
The intel chief simply nodded. But there was one last thing..."What do we tell Ming?"  
  
"Make something up, and make sure to blame the Feddies. Revenge is a good motivation."  
--------------------------------------- "How many did we lose?" General Dolvich inquired.  
  
"Five GMs. Four from my group. The defense force has suffered far more badly. Fifty percent losses," Colonel Patterson reported.  
  
"Don't worry the Columbus resupply ship Gorbachev should be departing Luna 2 right about now, and we ought to get replacements for the losses," General Dolvich reminded.  
  
"But it'll take five days, the Zeeks would only take three," he replied. If nothing goes wrong, he didn't add.  
  
"That's why we have to get the enemy fleet before then Colonel."  
-  
"Gorbachev here, we're ready to launch on the hour," the Gorbachev's commanding officer reported.  
  
"Hold it Gorbachev, your orders have been cancelled," the Luna 2 controller responded.  
  
"What the hell?! Look, if we don't launch now Malta Base will be in real trouble. What is the brass thinking?"  
  
"I have no idea. But orders are orders. Stand down, I'll call you when something comes up."  
-  
"So who will be my instructor?" Sylvie asked rather anxiously as she entered the Trainer's hangar. Why the hell was she being made into a pilot NOW? She thought. It was her wish to be a fighter jock like Maurice, but she didn't want to go out in a combat zone with only a crash course...  
  
"I am," Max replied quietly as she joined her.  
  
Sylvie's blood chilled as she felt something like a knife slice through her guts. She sighed... this was how she'd gotten to know Max before the war. She'd been a headstrong girl back then. Never listening to anybody, doing what she wanted. Then one day.  
-  
August 30, UC 0078 Side 2 No. 8 Colony  
  
"Hey miss, want to come with us?" a voice asked behind her.  
  
She turned, and saw to her dismay a trio of Federal soldiers, all of them drunk, heading towards her. She sighed, there were just so many damn bozos like this in the EF...  
  
"Come on... now don't you..."  
  
"Sorry boys, but I still have a lot of things to do," she replied quickly as she turned around. She immediately felt somebody grab her arm.  
  
"Look, don't ignore us missy..." one of the soldier replied coldly.  
  
Sylvie was about to kick the guy off when she realized that the three had already surrounded her. She was physically strong, years of track and field training had made sure of that, but she wasn't sure if she could take on all three of them... even if they were drunk. She quickly searched around for somebody to help her, but it was already late at night, and there wouldn't be... She suddenly felt something that she had never really felt before. Fear. She was alone, and she couldn't win against this three. She'd put up a fight, but she'd be beaten in the end... she gulped and closed her eyes... hoping...  
  
Suddenly, she felt the grip on her arm loosen, and a body falling on the ground. She belatedly opened her eyes and turned around, and caught sight of the man who had come to her rescue. He wore a pilot's uniform, and had a bright, handsome... but ultimately kind face. One that almost left her breathless. Before she could say anything he pushed her away and took on the two remaining drunks. Both went down in under a minute under his strong punches.  
  
"Are you alright?" the man suddenly asked her.  
  
Sylvie just kept looking at him, unresponsive. Not knowing what to say. Not knowing if she was in shock or not...  
  
"Hello?" the man asked in a playful tone, "They haven't hurt you yet, I could tell. What's wrong?"  
  
"I... sorry... I was out of it for a moment," she replied in a rather embarrassed tone, "I probably could've taken them myself you know..." she continued, just to reassert herself.  
  
"Yeah, looks like it. Looks like you've had some physical training under than frame of yours..." he observed.  
  
Sylvie frowned angrily at that. She didn't like to be eyed like that...  
  
"Hey, cool down. Jeez I was trying to pay you a compliment," he explained, "Anyway, what the HELL are you doing out here so late at night?"  
  
"None of your business, classified stuff," she replied defiantly.  
  
"Oh, you military too? I'm Lieutenant Max Harper of the 27th Squadron," he explained as he showed his insignia, "How about you, which unit are you from?"  
  
Max? Is that his name? she thought. Hey what are you waiting for? she told herself, he's asking for your name Sylvie... "I'm... Lieutenant Sylvie Gressier. Chief Communications Officer, EFSFS Amerigo."  
  
"Oh, so your from the fleet eh? Not me, I'm just militia," he explained, "A weekend warrior so to speak. But I think I could escort you to the base if you want to..."  
  
"No, I think I can handle that," she replied defiantly. Come on Sylvie, she told herself, the guy just saved you, couldn't you be nicer?  
  
"Right, but I'm going there anyway so..."  
  
"Alright then, fine... come with me..." she replied, raising her hands in surrender.  
  
"Alright, Sylvie..."  
-  
Sylvie sighed as the memories came back. They'd become friends during that long walk that night. And they'd gotten to know each other even better when Sylvie started taking piloting lessons under him. And she still missed those days... so very dearly. More than Max would ever know...  
  
"Sylvie, are you even listening?" Max asked in a rather annoyed tone.  
  
"Oh... sorry Max. I was just thinking..."  
  
"I know what you're thinking about. Just forget about it, if you don't listen to this lecture carefully you might end up dead."  
  
She looked at his eyes. They were so cold now. Even to her. No matter how much I wish, she thought, we could never go back. Ever. No matter how I still feel... "I know, don't worry about me. What were you saying again?"  
  
He sighed before starting again, "Alright, Sylvie..."  
-  
"Alright, we attack tomorrow. Anything else?" General Dolvich asked the officers gathered around the table. One raised his hand. It was Unger.  
  
"General sir, do I really have to..."  
  
"Yes Lidell. I know you haven't had much battle experience, but the Albuquerque will be part of the battle." Stop being a damn yellow bellied coward, he didn't add.  
  
"Yes sir..."  
-  
"Alright Fred, come clean with me, what's up with Sylvie and Max?" John asked as he entered his cabin.  
  
"Umm... John, I'm just new to this outfit. I have no idea what's bugging those two," he replied rather nervously, "And this really isn't any of our business..."  
  
"If Sylvie caves when we're out there, I'm DEAD. I don't know about piloting, and I'm pretty sure that Sylvie cares an awful lot about Max. So what happened?"  
  
"I told you, I don't know! The only one who probably knows anything is Maurice, and I doubt that..."  
  
"Thanks Fred, see you later..." John replied as he started to walk towards the door.  
  
"John don't tell me..."  
  
"WATCH ME."  
  
"Oh boy... this is going to get real ugly, real quickly..."  
-  
Sylvie muttered a curse as she tried to maneuver the Trainer back into the dock. The heavy Shield/Radar array taken from Eric's GM certainly did not help. To make it worse the only weapon the Trainer had was a single beam sabre and a 90mm machine gun. But an EWAC unit's job was to observe, not to fight. And at least the GM's computer did a lot of complicated maneuvers for her. Including landing.  
  
"Not that bad for a first try," Max commented. In fact, he thought, she was a natural. But he didn't want her to become overconfident.  
  
"Thanks. A few more days and I think I can be a regular..." she replied.  
  
"If we have a few days left that is," Max muttered quietly.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sylvie asked, surprised.  
  
"We're probably going to make a push against the Zeon troops tomorrow. We have a slight numerical edge now. The brass will want to take advantage of it."  
  
"Wait a minute! You nearly got killed yesterday and now..."  
  
"Sylvie, I already told you. There's nothing left between us. Concentrate on keeping yourself alive. John too," he then got up and began to climb out of the cockpit.  
  
Sylvie cast her eyes down towards the floor. To you maybe, she thought, but not to me... Why is it Max? she wanted to ask. Was it because of Maurice?  
-  
"Huh? Well... we're just old friends, that's all," Maurice replied in a confused tone, "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Ummm.... nothing, it was just a bet!" Fred replied before John could speak again, "Bye Maurice!" he continued as he dragged John out of Muarice's room.  
  
"Fred!" John complained.  
  
"STOP IT ALREADY!" Fred growled, "Don't you trust Sylvie?"  
  
"As much as she trusted me the first time we met," he replied. Which of course, meant no.  
  
"Oh great..." he replied, "Then just rely on prayer I guess..."  
  
"Guys..." Maurice suddenly interjected as she also stepped out of the room, "Is this about Max and Sylvie?"  
  
Fred slapped his hand into his forehead. Max and Sylvie were REALLY going to kill them now... "Yeah..."  
  
She smiled, "Don't worry about them. Trust me. And John, Sylvie won't fold. She's a strong lady. Takes a woman to know," she finished with a wink.  
  
"I sincerely hope so..." John replied with hardly any enthusiasm. His life depended on it. Literally.  
  
"Sergeant Chan!" a new voice suddenly called. It was the Captain.  
  
"Yes sir!" Fred replied quickly.  
  
"We're going to launch an attack tomorrow. Inform the men," he then turned to leave.  
  
Fred nodded, and he could only watch as John deflate in front of him.  
-  
The 44th had an early awakening the next day. They would be part of the recon element to sniff out the Zeon defenses, and Colonel Patterson was a little worried. And of course, the EWAC GM would be at the head of the team.  
-  
John muttered a curse as he checked his GM's EWAC systems. They were green. He was glad the engineers had done a swell job in making the conversion properly, but that wasn't his real worry.  
  
"Hi John, nervous?" Sylvie asked as she entered the cockpit.  
  
"Yeah, I hope I don't wet my pants," he replied. Sylvie laughed, "And I hope you remember our job."  
  
"Don't worry... I'm still too new to try any tricks," she replied.  
  
"Wanna bet?"  
-  
"Alright men, try to remain covered," Captain Karl advised as they began to near the Zeon positions. Behind them, the Federation ships were scattering Minovsky particles to help mask their presence from radar, but an alert lookout could still spot them. And if one did...  
  
"Rifle here, I've got visuals on the enemy ships. Starting a count now," Max reported. He was close enough to shoot now. Too bad it wasn't show time yet.  
  
"Head up, friendly bombardment coming in," Sergeant Fred reminded. Behind them, several Federation cruisers began to open fire on the enemy positions, mainly to distract them from the reconnaissance effort. A few Zeon guns responded, but most remained silent.  
  
"EWAC here," John reported, "I can't see anything worth a damn with radar, but I've got visuals too. I'm plotting their positions now." It was a difficult task, he reflected, but the GM had the right tools. Including improved optics newly installed in the mono sensor and another one attached in the radar shield itself.  
  
"I count eight ships," Max reported, "Two Tibes and the rest Musais. Looks like they're launching a few Zakus out for a patrol now. We may have to get to of here soon."  
  
"I'm almost done..." John reported. But something was bugging him a little, but he didn't know what... -  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
--------------------------------------- 


	24. Chapter 24: Carnage

Chapter 24: Carnage  
  
"Recto, Have you finished gathering the data?" Captain Karl asked worriedly. Every minute they stayed in that location increased their chances of being detected. And they would have to fight alone if they were.  
  
"Alright, done! I've plotted the data, I've got positions on the major ship units and possible alternates. Let's leave," he replied.  
  
Karl scarcely nodded in agreement before signaling the 44th to start its withdrawal. Fred and Juan were the first to leave, closely followed by Maurice and the EWAC. He followed them, while Max stayed a few seconds longer to cover them all.  
  
"Max!" Sylvie whispered into the radio, "Come on!"  
  
Max simply nodded as he too left his position. The Zeon fleet never knew that they were there.  
-  
"Has the data been gathered?" General Dolvich inquired.  
  
"Yes. Give us twenty more minutes to prepare a fire and assault plan. Another ten to brief the crews sir," his aide reported.  
  
"Good. Let's show'm what we're made of."  
-  
"Are they there yet?" Cecilia asked Colonel Killing in his office.  
  
"Yes, but the forces we sent are..."  
  
"Are you questioning our judgment? I hope not because if General Kishira..."  
  
"No mam," he replied quickly, "How could you even ask me that?"  
  
"Just making sure Colonel," she replied with a smile, "Sieg Zeon!" she finished, before turning away to leave.  
  
Killing watched her leave, and growled. It was for Giren, but he now had his own problem. Now how was he supposed to attack the base at Revo? he thought to himself. A wicked thought suddenly entered his mind. Of course, they haven't signed the Antarctic Treaty yet, have they? All he had to do was to "arrange" an excuse using the Cyclops team and that Newtype Gundam. Too bad for Steiner, and the rest of Side 6 for that matter  
-  
"Is everybody set?" Major Nick Terrance, commander of the fleet's MS force, asked as he took his place in the line. It was a testament to their excellent planning that there were none, "Alright then! We launch in one minute!"  
  
John nodded with some enthusiasm to that. The 44th wasn't going to be part of the initial assault, they were being held in reserve and for fire support along with the battleship Albuquerque and three other Salamis cruisers. Beside him, the Albuquerque's massive guns were already trained out, aimed at an unwary target. Suddenly, the guns spoke in one dreadful voice as they opened fire. A volley of red purple beams arced out towards an unfortunate Musai. The Musai was totally unprepared, and it exploded into a massive white fireball. Announcing to both sides that the battle had begun in earnest.  
  
The rest of the beams fired by the ships were less effective. Two Musais were damaged along with a Tibe, but no other Zeon ship had suffered significant damage. As the Federal line began to advance, those undamaged ships fired back, scoring hits on the lead Salamis cruisers, the Monmouth, the Ulm, and the Austerlitz. The Monmouth took three hits, each destroying a forward turret, and it quickly dropped out of formation and began to fall back, fire still trailing her. The Ulm was more fortunate. A single hit knocked out her port forward turret, but the rest of the ship was intact. The same could not be said though, of the Austerlitz. She took seven direct hits in under a minute, and by the end of it all of her forward guns had been destroyed and her engine disabled. Then seemingly down for the count, the Zeon ships began to search for more worthy targets. But before they could do so the Federation MS force had closed on their position, and a wild melee had begun around the Zeon ships.  
  
Jean was in the midst of that melee, and wished Willis hadn't been killed in the battle earlier. The Federation had more men and better equipment, but Zeon troops had more experience. The GM's computer was able to compensate for that slightly, but only slightly. He quickly saw a GM go down to bazooka fire from a squad of three Zakus, before the squad was wiped out by a volley of beams from the Brandywine and the Saratoga. A squad leader Zaku entered the fray, but one burst from his 90mm killed it before it could do some damage. But before he could react a pair of Rick Doms appeared, and fired on a GM just behind his. It exploded, and he only belatedly realized that it was the one belonging to the MS commander, Nick Terrance.  
  
"! The Major is dead!" a rookie GM pilot screamed as he turned around to flee. A bazooka shell killed him before he got far. Another panicking GM pilot followed him and was downed as well. That, he thought, was enough.  
  
"Alright! Shut up you cowards! Pull yourselves together and keep fighting!" he ordered, and his booming voice was enough to make a trio of fleeing GMs to turn around and fight. That was fortunate for him, because one of them was able to kill a Rick Dom aiming a bazooka right at him. But he wasn't sure of the situation... yet. "Command, how's the attack going?"  
  
"Major Gearing here. Looks like we're winning. I count two more dead Musais," the Monmouth's skipper reported, "Wish I could join you... but my shi..." the message was cut midword and replaced by static. And suddenly there was yellow beam fire coming from the OTHER side of the field.  
-  
"The Monmouth is down!" the communications officer aboard the Albuquerque reported.  
  
"Who...who got her?" General Lidell inquired in a meek tone.  
  
"It didn't come from the direction of the enemy fleet..."  
  
"Damn it then w..."  
  
He never finished that last sentence. Before he could a volley of beams engulfed the bridge, and everybody on it was killed instantly. -  
"Oh my God..." John said as he saw a devastating volley of beams hit the Albuquerque. Her top superstructure, including the bridge, was almost totally destroyed. She was still intact but...  
  
A second massive volley suddenly hit the battleship in her midsection. The Magellan broke in half, and the rear end exploded not soon after as the reactor cooked off. Nobody except perhaps those in the forward compartments could have survived. But any chance they had was soon extinguished by yet another volley of beams. This one vaporizing any remaining remnants of the Albuquerque.  
  
"! New contact bearing 087! I count three ships. How the hell did they get there?!" he reported in a shocked tone. The Zeon reinforcements had come from nowhere, coming from an area that was supposedly mined by the defense force. Before he could even make out the designations for the three ships, another volley of beams came, and the cruiser Normandy disappeared in a blinding flash.  
  
"! Screw the identification! Start evading!" Major Miles, former XO and now skipper of the Johnston, ordered. His decision proved wise, as the Johnston barely evaded a volley of missiles sent in her direction. The Ramillies, the ship beside her, was less lucky. Two turrets were gone, and her aft superstructure badly damaged. And they had not yet even fired back.  
  
"I've got a visual!" Max reported in an excited tone, "Two are Musais. The third is a new ship, classify as modified Gwajin type. Their MS escorts are attacking!"  
  
And just as he said, several bright objects began to head towards them at high speed. There were at least fifteen of them, John saw, and many were not just Zakus...  
  
"Contact for help!" Major Miles ordered, "We need help fast!"  
  
"Dear God, What have we gotten ourselves into..." Karl muttered as he saw the objects come closer and closer.  
-  
Jean watched as a Zeon Tibe class cruiser tip over and explode from all the hits it had suffered, but he was beginning to believe that would be their last hurrah. Fifteen additional Mobile Suits had just reinforced the beleaguered Zeon forces, and they were clearly veteran pilots. The remains of a GM and two more Balls lying just beside him was testament to that. And he was seriously considering...  
  
"This is General Dolvich, begin to withdraw in pre-arranged intervals," the commanding General ordered, "Fall back to Bravo Line!"  
  
Jean barely had to nod in agreement. The rest of the GM force began to fall back while he and another GM gave them covering fire. As he was about to leave, his companion took a hit and exploded. A second rocket barely missed his own GM, before covering fire from the ships forced the enemy MS to take some cover. But he knew this was just the easy part.  
-  
"We got suckered. We got ing suckered!" John declared angrily as Sylvie frantically tried to find some cover. Zeon had INTENTIONALLY let them attack, only to counterattack their weakened rear areas in an attempt to surround their fleet. Most of the fixed defenses were gone now, expertly taken down by the enemy MS force, and the three Zeon ships were beginning to advance on their positions...  
  
"Johnston here, I would really like some assistance now!" Major Miles pleaded. The Johnston hadn't been hit yet, but the Ramillies was crippled, and he couldn't keep the wolves away for much longer.  
  
"Spruance here, give us five minutes! Reserve Balls and Sabrefish are on their way too!" Colonel Patterson encouraged.  
  
Miles had just nodded when another volley of beams hit the Ramillies. And just like that, she was gone. And the Johnston was alone, outnumbered, and seriously outgunned. , he thought. But he wasn't about to go down THAT easy. "Target Musai! Fire!" he ordered. The volley hit, and the Musai was now trailing smoke. But the enemy MS were heading straight for him.  
-  
Ming took aim at the surviving Salamis class cruiser. This ship proved a lot more resolute than her other sisters, but now her time had run out. Almost everything had gone according to plan, and the new battleship Bismarck and her complement of Home Defense Corp pilots were proving to be a great help. But this kill, would be his...  
  
Suddenly, he felt a sudden jolt as his R type took a direct beam hit. He was surprised, and it took him a while to realize that his left forearm was gone. He muttered a curse while he evaded a second beam fired at him. Then he spotted his assailant. The yellow white GM that had once evaded his grasp.  
-  
"Follow me!" Maurice taunted as she began to run away from the enemy ace. The longer she distracted that guy, she thought, the more targets Max could take down. And he certainly did not disappoint.  
  
Max aimed his first shot at the now familiar shape of an squadron leader Zaku and fired. This time he missed, and the Zaku began evasive maneuvers, but the second shot blew him apart. He fired a third shot at a Rick Dom. The beam pierced right through the Mobile Suit's reactor and hit a second Rick Dom behind it. Both went down. Two more Rick Doms followed them and took aim at him, but then Juan and Fred suddenly snuck up behind those two and took them down with two bursts of fire before coming under heavy bazooka fire. Another Rick Dom appeared in front of him, but Max took him down as well.  
  
"! I need help," Maurice screamed as the R type caught up with her. She fired her beam rifle at it, but missed, and the angry R type hacked the rifle in half with his heat axe. Maurice produced her own beam sabre and began to square off with the Zaku, but suddenly a Rick Dom appeared right behind her...  
  
Max saw that, and started to bring his rifle around. He didn't notice that a Rick Dom was coming up right below him, bazooka already trained out...  
  
But Sylvie did, and over John's protests she quickly discarded the radar shield and entered into the fray, firing her 90mm at the Rick Dom as she did so.  
  
But most of her shots missed, and just gave notice to the Rick Dom of her position. To her horror she watched the Rick Dom turn around and aim the bazooka at HER.  
  
"!" John screamed. This was it... Cynthia...  
  
But before it could fire a beam pierced right through the Rick Dom from above. It was from Max, who had killed it using his beam pistol. But he had no time to celebrate, and he immediately turned around and aimed for the Rick Dom going for Maurice, hoping...  
  
He was too late. The Rick Dom fired a rocket straight into the Light Armor's back, and it hit.  
  
Maurice felt a sudden jolt from behind her and realized that her life was over. Mother... Father... Ken... I'll be seeing you now, she thought as she felt the flames begin to engulf her cockpit. And Max... goodbye. Her cockpit was engulfed in a massive white fireball a moment later, and her GM disintegrated from the explosion.  
  
Max screamed in rage as he saw that, and fired. Revenge was his, as the Rick Dom took a hit right in the reactor and exploded, showering the R-Type with fragments. Max took aim at the R type, but before he could another Rick Dom arrived and sent a rocket in his direction. He tried to evade, but his left leg got hit by the shell. He aimed again, but by then both Mobile Suits had fled.  
  
Behind him, Sylvie looked on in shock. A single thought kept entering her mind. What have I done?  
-  
"Ming, are you..." Mike asked worriedly as he saw the damage on the R type.  
  
"I... I was too complacent. Damn! But thanks Mike, you saved me back there," he replied.  
  
"Hey, just returning the favor. Now let's go. Let the Home Defense Corp boys take them on."  
-  
Fred snarled in frustration as he realize the extent of the damage he had suffered. An arm and a leg was gone. And so was his bazooka. But at least Juan got the Rick Dom that hit him, and the rest of the enemy MS force was now thinking twice before charging them again. Unfortunately, the big battleship guns were still firing at them, and if help didn't come soon...  
  
"Johnston, what's your situation?" the Captain suddenly asked. He had been hit too, and his 240mm Cannon was gone. But otherwise his team was still lucky.  
  
"Don't make me press my luck," Major Miles muttered to no one in particular as the Johnston took a scratch hit. His ship fired back, and the shots finished off the Musai they had damaged earlier. But there was still that big, bad battleship... and its Musai escort.  
  
Suddenly, a single mega particle beam tore right through the escorting Musai. The ship exploded, scattering debris all around the Gwajin like ship, "Good enough for you Miles?" the Colonel suddenly inquired.  
  
"Yeah, thanks sir. But there's still that... "  
  
Before he could finish a volley of beams narrowly missed the Spruance. The volley continued on behind the Spruance and struck the Austerlitz instead. The cruiser disintegrated from the force of the hits. Damn it, Miles thought, their gunner must be a descendant of Buffalo Bill or something!  
  
"Fall back to Alpha line. We've had it," Colonel Patterson explained as the Spruance approached the Johnston. Behind him were the battered remnants of the 17th Fleet, still being pursued by the enemy Mobile Suit Force. The wrecked hulls told the tale. This round was going to Zeon, by how much though, was still a matter to be decided.  
-  
In the depths of Malta Base, a group of engineers rapidly unpacked the Base's demolition charges. But the leader of the group was worried. This wasn't just an ordinary demolition charge. It was a NUKE. But not just any nuke. It was a captured Zeon one. What the hell was the brass thinking? he thought, as he started checking its systems. They were all green. All it needed now was for the final activation code. To be used only when Zeon forces came within sight of Malta Base.  
-  
General Nicolo Zander grinned as he read the report on the enemy reinforcements to Malta. All he had to do now, was to wait.  
-  
Yes, most of this comes from 0080. The date at this point is Dec 7. Two days before the Cyclop team's attack. Whew, cut my timing a little close!  
  
I've taken the liberty to take some of the elite(but little known)members of the Home Defense Corps who were usually stationed at Side 3. These men report directly to Giren Zabi, sort of his personal elite shock troops. Most famous is probably Eric Mansfield from the MSV texts. Thanks to the Gundam Project for this little tidbit!  
  
The Bismarck is another one of my ship creations. More on that in the next chapter.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	25. Chapter 25: The Wrong Reasons

Chapter 25: The Wrong Reasons  
  
Ming pulled his R type into the Bismark's hangar. It was a lot more cramped than the Bremen's, but it had to be to fit all the MS she carried. Upon exitting the cockpit, he was immediately greeted by the Bismark's commanding officer, Brigadier General Rex Wavell.  
  
"So Ming, getting rusty?" he asked in a rather wicked tone.  
  
Ming frowned. The Home Defense Corp, good as they were, also seemed to have a pretty arrogant commander. And he hated arrogance, "Just got too complacent sir. I'll be out of your battleship soon."  
  
"Battlecruiser," he corrected, "This is no Gwajin. This is just the greatest Tibe ever made."  
  
"Shouldn't you be worried about the battle sir?" he inquired, wanting the conversation to end.  
  
"Don't worry. We're beating them past the second defense line now. My nine guns have done enough damage to them."  
  
Yeah, he thought, but if you'd done better, maybe those two Musais and nine other MS that had been with him would still be alive right now. He called the chief mechanic, he wanted the repairs to be done quickly.  
-  
"Damn it, whose the moron who trained these boys?!" Jean asked angrily as he saw two GMs take hits. One was killed, the other damaged, and the rest of the MS force was at the point of rout. And if command doesn't get their together...  
  
"Enemy Rush Boats attacking!" a GM pilot reported in a panicked tone as he fired. One of the attacking Rush Boats, a Jiko, took a hit and exploded. But before he could fire again his MS took two hits and exploded. Jean muttered a curse. He was now down to twelve GMs and seven Balls, and he wasn't sure how would he be able to handle those Rush Boats.  
-  
"Sabrefish force! Make a covering attack!" General Dolvich ordered.  
  
"Sir!" the Sabrefush commander responded, "There's too many of them. I only have twenty or so boys with me. If I go..."  
  
"Just do it!" the General replied angrily before he could finish.  
  
The commander muttered a curse and nodded, "Alright kiddies, follow me!" he ordered as he sped his Sabrefish right towards the enemy line.  
  
Dolvich took a deep breathe. He was sacrficing the Sabrefish force to buy him some time to get what's left of his fleet to Alpha Line. All he could hope for now was they could stop them there...  
  
The Sabrefish commander quickly took aim at the lead Rush Boat, another Jiko, and fired two missiles. Due to Minovsky particles, guided weapons had been rendered useless, and thus these missiles were "dumb" ones who only travelled straight and level. But they were well aimed, and both missiles hit, right on the cockpit. The unfortuante Jiko toppled over and rammed into another one, and both units died in the explosion. Six more died in under the space of a minute, before the surviving three broke off and retreated. But by then the Mobile Suit force began to engange them, and vintage fighters had no hope of winning against top of the line Mobile Suits.  
  
The Sabrefish commander saw the enemy MS come, and ordered his men to scatter. Seven, including his wingman, went down before they could break out of formation, and soon a wild dog fight was raging around him. He quickly took aim at a Rick Dom busy with another target and fired two missiles. Both hit, but the Rick Dom was well armored, and the resulting damage wasn't fatal. He switched to guns and fired, but the bullets were even less effective than the missiles. Before he could try something else the Rick Dom fired a rocket at him. It was the last thing he ever saw.  
  
By that time the surviving Sabrefish had begun to fall back to Alpha Line were the fleet had begun to establish itself. The Zeon Rick Doms pursued them, ruthlessly cutting them down one by one. Only two made it back to the Federation lines.  
  
General Dolvich grimaced at that. Their sacrifice had bought them several minutes to set themselves up in Alpha Line, but not much else. As the enemy Rick Doms began to advance towards his battered fleet, he began to feel their sacrifice was in vain.  
-  
"How... how bad?" General Hill asked his new XO weakly. He had been wounded, badly, when the Federation had managed to score a direct hit on his ship's bridge. But he was more fortunate than the rest of the bridge crew, who were now either dead or fatally wounded.  
  
"The Tibe Fredrick has been sunk. So are the Musais Berlin, Munich, Kiel, Konigsberg, and Magdeburg. Twenty one out of our fifty Mobile Suits are also dead or damaged, as well as almost all the Jikos," he reported coolly, "But we've managed to reach their final defense line. However..."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"They are almost out of ammunition. They are requesting for resupply."  
  
"Then let's do it..." the General replied as he tried to get up, "We can't let them fight without ammunition..."  
  
"General Wavell disagrees and is going to press on the attack. He says the enemy is at the point of breaking."  
  
"Tell him that he's an idiot. And I'm STILL commander of this fleet..."  
  
"I'm sorry, but Commander Giren doesn't agree with that..." his XO replied in a cold tone.  
  
"What... what do you mean?"  
  
He suddenly produced a syringe, "Courtesy of Cecilia Irene, General Hill. You'll be remembered as a hero back home..."  
  
"What..." the General started before his executioner pressed him palm against his mouth. He tried to scream out loud, but before he could feel the pain of a needle penetrating his skin. And the world around him seemed to go black.  
-  
"Max... I... I..." Sylvie started, tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Just shut up already!" Max replied angrily as he took aim at the rapidly approaching Zeon force, "What's done is done. Concentrate on keeping alive."  
  
"Listen to him Sylvie," John advised.  
  
I'm sorry Max... don't you understand that? Sylvie thought but could not say out loud. I'm sorry...  
  
"MOVE IT!" John screamed angrily as he grabbed the controls from Syvlie. He didn't know much about pilotting, but he managed to evade a bazooka shell sent in their direction, "Sylvie, move this piece of junk or I will!"  
  
Sylvie barely nodded in reply. But she did as she was told, and before more shells could come she managed to nestle her EWAC Trainer into a safe position.  
  
Max watched that, and muttered a curse. If she doesn't pull herself together.  
-  
Colonel Patterson cringed as several bazooka shells streaked towards their lines, but he was noticing something that many did not. There were fewer and fewer shells in the subsequent volleys, was the enemy running out of ammuniton?  
  
A volley of beams suddenly shot by just beside his ship. He grimaced. Even if Mobile Suits were out of ammo, ships still had plenty. And he needed to take out more of them. "Aim for the lead Musai, fire!!!"  
-  
Jean watched as the ships began to exchange fire. It was largely ineffective for both sides. The Federation fleet was now behind Alpha Line, mainly out of range of the Zeon guns. The enemy rocket fire was also slackening off, but...  
  
"What do we do sir?" a scared GM pilot asked him.  
  
"I..." Jean started, unsure who was...  
  
"This is Captain Karl, I'm ranking officer now," the Captain interjectted, "And I think they'll charge us in a minute or so. So get your beam sabres ready and prepare for a melee. Jean, you're in charge of the left flank, I'll take the right. And men, this is the last line. We hold it, no matter what."  
  
"Yes sir," Jean responded. Glad to have someone who had their together in charge.  
  
Karl nodded at the response. He was in a bad situation, having only a total of sixteen Mobile Suits including those of the 44th, and a mere eight Balls of all types. But Zeon had spent their rockets in the battle earlier, and now had to engange in a melee if they wanted to keep fighitng. And the GM's beam sabre had a great advantage over Zeon's heat weapons. Which he didn't have... he suddenly realized, and he should be getting one for himself.  
-  
The head of the Zeon MS force muttered a curse. That stupid, arrogant, -kissing Wavell, he thought angrily. Did he really think a mad charge could do it? The Home Defense Corp boys were good, but they weren't supermen...  
  
"Begin attack!" the General ordered as the Bismark fired a volley of beams.  
  
In any case, he didn't have a choice.  
-  
"Here they come!" an excited GM pilot reported.  
  
"Open fire!" Captain Karl ordered, and soon red purple beams were lancing out into the darkness, sometimes finding their mark, but largely due to inexperienced pilots, often not. But Max was not one of them.  
  
Max was targetting officers again, as usual. Unfortunately, he couldn't spot the squad leader this time, and he was forced to take down just an ordinary Rick Dom instead. He searched again, but could not find the custom markings of the squad leader. With range closing rapidly, he decided to take one more shot and killed a second Rick Dom. He considered firing a third shot, but with range closing rapidly...  
  
"Beam sabres, ready!" Captain Karl ordered as he primed his grenades. He might not have found a sabre in time, but this would have to do.  
-  
"You heard the man..." Jean encouraged as he drew his own sabre. There were still twenty two Mobile Suits heading for them, the rest being killed or forced to break off, but the Federal Forces had lost another GM and a Ball due to the enemy ship's guns. But that support was being withdrawn now, lest they cause friendly casualties. But that also meant.  
-  
"Take this!" Fred screamed as he threw one of his grenades at an advancing Rick Dom. The suit was damaged, but not destroyed. Damn it! he thought, how the hell was he supposed to fight with just an arm and a leg? He quickly primed a second grenade to try to...  
  
Before the Rick Dom could recover though, a burst of fire punched three holes into its reactor core and blew the suit apart. It was Juan, who was now discarding his 90mm in favor of a greande and a beam sabre. "This is going to be really hairy..."  
  
Fred had just barely nodded in agreement went a trio of Rick Doms burst into their position. A pair of well thrown grenades landed right in the middle of the group, and the explosions killed one and damaged the other two. Realizing his chance, Juan charged one of the damaged ones, beam sabre drawn...  
  
The Zeon pilot on the Rick Dom was just trying to reorient himself when he saw the GM coming straight for him. Before he could do anything the GM thurst his sabre into the cockpit, killing him instantly.  
  
The second Rick Dom saw that, and despite the damage on his suit he angrily charged Juan's GM. Juan saw this though, and quickly blocked the Rick Dom's heat blade with his own sabre. He then quickly kicked Rick Dom, shattering its damaged torso, before giving it a shoulder smash that would have made any veteran Zaku pilot proud. The damage it caused wasn't major, but it was enough to stun the Rick Dom's pilot for a moment, giving a newly arrived GM enough time to slash the Rick Dom in half.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Fred asked at the new arrival.  
  
"I'm... Seargent Martin Nance," he replied, barely breathing, "They need a few more men on the left..."  
  
"I can go but..." Juan explained.  
  
"Go Juan, I think I can hold them by myself here," he told him with a wink.  
  
"Alright, but call me if you need me Sarge," Juan replied.  
-  
Several enemy Mobile Suit had managed to penetrate the defensive screen, General Dolvich saw. And those were now heading right for his ships. The GM force was currently doing well but if they got the ships...  
  
A huge monoeye suddenly pooped up right in front of his bridge. He cringed as he realized...  
  
Before it could do anything, a yellow white GM suddenly vicously kicked the Zeon Mobile Suit away. The General realized to his utter amazement that it was the EWAC GM...  
  
"Sylvie! Stop it, the left foot is damaged..." John reported in a panicked tone. The Trainer only had very light armor, and wasn't designed for...  
  
But Sylvie didn't care anymore, she'd get one of these murderers, "Shut up John!" she told him angrily as she produced her 90mm machine gun again. She was a bad shot, but at this range, missing was impossible. The Rick Dom took twenty hits before exploding, and Sylvie had just realized to her horror that she had taken a life... Oh .... what, what has gotten into me?  
  
Max saw that, and stood motionless for a moment. No... he thought. He didn't want this to happen. Not to Sylvie... But he had not time to care about her for the moment. Far more lives were at stake. He counted three other MS other than the one Sylvie had killed, and he was already taking aim at one of them. He fired, and the Rick Dom went down in flames.  
  
A second Rick Dom tried to attack the Spruance, but the Spruance had more AA guns than any other ship in the fleet, and they quickly turned the Rick Dom into a collander before it could even get close. Max searched for the third one, but he couldn't see where it...  
  
He suddenly felt a massive jolt as the Rick Dom rammed him from above. Max started to move, knowing if that he didn't...  
  
But then a second GM had arrived to help him out, stabbing the Rick Dom from behind. The Rick Dom fell dead instantly, falling dead over Max. Max looked at the GM who had saved him, and realized it was Sylvie. "Sylvie..."  
  
"Max, don't worry about me anymore, alright... I can handle it..." Sylvie told him in a quiet, pained tone. I think I know now, she thought to herself. I know now why you didn't want me to care for you anymore... it's because it's too painful. Because everytime you look at me, you'd remember everything that's happened before... How everybody you loved died before your eyes... how you had to kill to save me... And now you'll never know... how sorry I am... "You'd better go back to the frontline, they need you there," she finished, her voice close to cracking.  
  
"Thank you, Sylvie," Max replied, knowing just how much it had to hurt. She had never taken a life before, and like the man he was before the war, she was a kind and caring person... despite her attitude. He sighed. He didn't want this to happen, he didn't want her to become like him. But it was too late. They both could never come back... He turned around and headed for the line. Sylvie would never know that there were tears in his eyes as he went.  
  
John merely remained silent. Now, he knew why.  
-  
"Damn it, they're doing badly!" Ming growled angrily as he observed the battle from afar.  
  
"Yeah... it's really bad," Mike said as he joined him. His Rick Dom had been damaged by a Sabrefish earlier, and he was glad that he wasn't part of the hell going on in front of him. The Rick Dom was a good machine, but it took some time to get used to. He made the transition quickly, but most couldn't. And the battle raging now reflected that. But that was the least of his worries. "Ming..."  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the battle.  
  
"Your sister is dead."  
  
Ming turned around, shocked, hoping it was a joke. But it was no joke. Mike produced a telegram, and Ming fell down on the ground.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	26. Chapter 26: Stalemate

Chapter 26: Stalemate  
  
"Ming... calm down..." Mike told his wingman as he started to head for the hangar.  
  
"YOU calm down!" he replied angrily, "Those Federation s have killed off my ENTIRE family! They SPECIFICALLY targetted my own uncle. A DIPLOMAT! A ing diplomat! And they had to kill Mei Li with him..."  
  
"But that doesn't mean you should throw your life away!" Michael shot back, "What would your sister think if you wasted your life on a suicide mission?!"  
  
"It's not a suicide mission. My R type can..."  
  
"Your damn R type needs two days before it's fit to fly," Mike replied in a calmer tone, "Till then, you're grounded, or do I have to beat you up until you listen?"  
  
Ming sat down, finally overcome by his grief. He bowed his head down and put his hands over the back of his head. Mei Li... why... You were the only one I had left...  
  
Mike sat beside him and patted his back saying, "I'm sorry Ming. I truly am... she was special you know..." Not only to you, but to me too. But that's something you'll never know now...  
  
"Yeah... she was," he replied, laying his back on the wall. But the pain was still there.  
  
"Agreed then," Mike finished as he looked up into the ceiling. He tried to remember Mei Li's face... The two of them had met a few times, and they had both managed to become friends through mailing each other. And, he admitted to himself, I was falling for her too... But he had to put aside his own grief. Ming needed a friend now, and he was the only one Ming had. -  
"Damn it!" a Rick Dom pilot screamed as his heat blade broke in half. He'd been squaring off with a GM for just a short time, and their damn beam weaponry...  
  
Jean quickly stabbed the Rick Dom in the chest before he could get a replacement for his broken weapon, and the Rick Dom slumped dead. His GMs were outnumbered, but they had the edge. Beam sabres were far more reliable than the fragile heat weapons used by Zeon, not to mention being more powerful. In addition, most Zeon Mobile Suit pilots rarely, if ever, enganged in close combat due to the Federation lack of Mobile Suits before this point, while the combat data taken by the Gundam included close combat scenarios and were subsequently programmed into the GM's systems. The results reflected it. His team of six had already killed five Zeon Mobile Suits without losing a single one of their own, and the rest of enemy force was seriously reconsidering their attack.  
  
"Come on you Zeek scum!" one of his GM pilots, the one that was so scared only a few minutes before, taunted over the Zeon communications channel, "We're ready for ya!"  
  
"Insolent boy..." the Zeon MS commander muttered after he heard that. But he only had sixteen Mobile Suits still capable of combat while the enemy had nearly fifteen. He looked around, trying to find another option. He never saw the beam coming straight at him.  
-  
"Gotcha..." Max said quietly as he finally located and killed the enemy squad leader. The effect on the enemy was nothing less than demoralizing.  
  
"Alright! That's it! Fall back!" the deputy MS commander ordered. His men scarcely needed any encouragement and soon the battered Zeon force was in full flight.  
-  
"Yeeha! We have them on the run!" one of the GM pilots jubilantly reported.  
  
"Alright, prepare to charge!" Captain Karl ordered.  
  
"Sir?!" Jean asked, surprised.  
  
"Let's run'm down and kill as many of them before they come back!" he explained.  
  
"Alright... are you set boys?" he asked in a nervous tone.  
  
"Yes sir!" was their enthusiastic reply.  
-  
"What the hell..." the deputy commander muttered as he saw the Federation line begin to advance. He was just about to call for fire support when he was exploded by a direct hit from Max.  
  
"Good luck guys..." Max muttered quietly. His last shot was his gift to the rest of the MS team, as his busted leg kept him from effectively enganging in the melee.  
  
But they hardly needed it at all. At first the Zeon troops turned to try to fight, but it was once again a losing game against the GM's beam sabre and computer. The force finally broke from formation and fled in terrible disarray. Most were cut down by the GMs, others taken down by supporting fire from the Balls. Karl pressed the counterattack to its limits, but knew not to press his luck. He quickly ordered his teams to fall back before they could run afoul of the big guns on the Zeon ships. Though some of the now elated pilots needed more convincing, Karl was able to get every single GM back to the safety of Alpha Line before the Zeon ships began to open fire. The remains of seventeen Zeon Mobile Suits now littered the space around Alpha Line, and now it was back to an even fight.  
-  
"And I thought Germans weren't reckless..." Colonel Patterson remarked as he saw the Captain's battered GM Cannon. The cannon and an arm was gone, and the GM was peppered with fragments, a result of his wild grenade tossings.  
  
"Don't start with me right now sir..." Karl muttered. This is just one hell of a bad time for...  
  
"Don't worry Karl," the Colonel replied in a far more serious tone, "I'm just glad to see you're back. Your decision has probably just saved all of us you know..."  
  
"Huh?" Karl replied, too tired to evaluate why.  
  
"You've taken out most of their Mobile Suits, and most of the rest are damaged. You can probably count on them not attacking us for sometime..."  
  
"Oh... really... well..." Karl muttered. He looked around him. So many of those proud young faces would be gone forever now... But if that was true, at least they hadn't died in vain. He started to head for the Spruance's hangar. He just hoped he could get there without falling asleep.  
-  
"Lieutenant?" Seargent Martin asked as he tried to call Jean. There was no response. He was sound asleep.  
  
"Leav'm alone," Juan advised, "Let's just drag his GM to the dock..."  
  
"Yeah... oh boy has our been kicked..." Fred muttered beside him. But he was alive, wasn't he? And that was good... But a lot of others weren't. And that wasn't.  
-  
"Need any assistance Rifle?" Sylvie asked Max as she watched him trying to get in the Spruance's hangar. His GM's bad leg made it difficult.  
  
"No, don't worry about it," Max replied. He sighed. Her voice had become cold like his. Maybe it was just the shock, but it might also be...  
  
"Then please hurry up, my EWAC also needs some repairs," she continued. And Max complied, skillfuly getting in the hangar even with his unbalanced thrusters. Sylvie followed.  
  
"Umm... Sylvie..." John started.  
  
"What is it?" she asked without any life in her voice.  
  
"Will you..."  
  
"I don't think I ever will," she replied, "Please, don't talk about it anymore."  
  
John nodded and sighed. This just kept getting worse and worse.  
-  
That moron... Colonel Jefferson thought angrily as he watched the remaining Zeon Mobile Suits return. The fleet was down to fourteen Mobile Suits now thanks to that idiotic ship-driver General's decision, and now they were in a fix. They would have to wait for reinforcements again, if any was forthcoming that is. Granada would probably go insane once they hear about this.  
-  
"So... the base remains..." Cecilia replied coolly as General Wavell concluded his report via videocom. She secretly wished she could give him a 9mm hemorrhage....  
  
"Yes, my damn pilots still haven't adapted to the new Rick Doms, and that is the result. Still, due to the efforts of the supporting warships we were able to push them back."  
  
"Is the enemy fleet that formidable?" she asked, the change in her expression barely noticable in the fuzzy signal.  
  
"They have this sniper. Most officers go down even before they knew where he was," he reported.  
  
"Fine, I'll see. But remember, the thirty Mobile Suits and the two Musais we sent along with you are already a significant proportion of the Granada fleet. Don't expect me to be able to send you much more."  
  
"Thank you," he replied with a smile, "All we need is only a little more support to ensure the enemy defeat."  
  
"By the way, has Hill been taken cared of?" she inquired.  
  
"General Hill has achieved a glorious death in battle!" he replied with a wicked smile.  
  
"Good. He'll recieve a posthumous commendation. And Wavell..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Giren will not be pleased if you fail again. Keep that in mind." But you're a lucky man, Wavell. She didn't add, that Giren doesn't want that Dozul supporter Jefferson in command, or I'd have prepared a zinc coffin for you already.  
-  
"Again?" Killing asked tiredly, "My commanding officer will be back soon you know..."  
  
"We've detained him for a few days further Colonel, so don't worry," Cecilia explained, "Now, how long before you could send them the necessary equipment?"  
  
"The Zimmand and Zeonic contractors are getting slow in their shipments, but the main problem is transport. I don't have any ships since all are busy ferrying troops to A Bou Qu or Solomon."  
  
"Alright, I'm sending the Zanzibar class cruiser Falklands and her Musai escorts by the 10th. Could you get the shipment ready by then?"  
  
"The 10th?" he asked before doing a few mental calculations, "Yes, I can."  
-  
John was feeling numb when he entered his room. His emotions had been put through one hell of a rollercoaster today, ranging from sheer fear, to elation, and now to depression. The 44th was still luckier than other GM teams, but still not lucky enough. And it was Max and Sylvie who were the most devastated. Maurice was Max's closest friend, the only one who seemed to have his trust. As for Sylvie... it was clear what had been in her mind all that time. But now she was throwing all that away now. He was getting frustrated at that. They were both lonely... looking for somebody to fill their lives. But the war kept them from finding that.  
  
He sighed. Maybe it was just because they reminded him of himself and Cynthia... he shook his head. No, they weren't EXACTLY like that. Both Cynthia and I could stand on our own, but we chose NOT to, instead we chose to want to be together. Because it's sad as hell to go through life alone, and he didn't want Cynthia to be sad, waiting for him to come home. The thought of her waiting for him generated a smile and a worried thought. He hoped this damn war would end soon. But he had to concentrate on keeping alive first. The problem was, Zeon would never cooperate on that.  
-  
"Max... could you continue with your pilotting lessons?" Sylvie asked as she entered his room.  
  
"Sylvie, after what happened..." he replied quietly.  
  
"I still have to fly that thing," she replied, cutting him off, "I don't want somebody to die because of me anymore, I want to be able to make sure I don't get in your way."  
  
"Sylvie, you might be forced to fight again," he warned.  
  
"I've killed two people anyway. What's a few more?" she asked, trying to keep her voice firm.  
  
He sighed, "Sylvie... I know it must hurt..."  
  
"Are you going to do anything about it?" she asked quickly. She knew what the answer would be, but she needed to ask him that. So that she'd really be sure...  
  
"No," he replied. His voice seemed colder than ever.  
  
"Then trust me to handle it," she replied in an equally cold tone. Inside, she felt as if the best part of her just died. Her heart was begging her not to, but she was finally going to kill it off. No matter how much it hurt.  
  
Max could not see her heart tear itself apart. But he knew it was happening, and knew this was the only way. Lest he hurt her even more. "Fine then, tomorrow at 0600. As long as Zeon cooperates that is," he advised.  
  
She nodded and left without another word.  
-  
"This is becoming a habit for me now..." Juan muttered as he stepped just ouutside Maurice's door.  
  
"Yeah, I know. Doing this just sucks..." Fred muttered beside him.  
  
"Guys... could you let me do it this time?" Max suddenly asked as he joined them, "Alone."  
  
"Max..." Juan started.  
  
"Please, she doesn't have anybody to send that to anyway," he replied, the grief apparent in his voice.  
  
Fred sighed, "Come on Juan..." he ordered, and Juan quickly followed him as he walked away.  
  
Max took a deep breathe before entering the room. It was untidy, but Maurice wasn't the tidiest person in the world. He sat on her bed and looked around for a while... trying to remember the time they spent together... their meeting at Luna 2... and finally...  
  
"Sorry Maurice..." he quietly told the room, "But I already told you why... so I hope it's alright..." He then stood up and began the task of collecting her belongings.  
-  
The crew chief gave a sigh of relief as he carefully repacked the nuke. At least there wouldn't be mushroom clouds today. And, he hoped, there never would.  
-  
"They what?" General Nicolo asked in an annoyed tone.  
  
"They beat off the attack. And they are now requesting for reinforcements," his aide coolly reported.  
  
"Request denied," he replied coldly, "And ignore any further requests."  
  
"But sir..."  
  
"Do it LIEUTENANT, or do you want to be a non-com again?" he replied angrily.  
  
"Yes sir..." the aide replied meekly, adn quickly left his office.  
  
Nicolo growled. Now he was in a fix. He NEEDED Malta Base to be defeated. Then, he could use the demolition charges and claim that Zeon had fired one of "their" nukes at a Federation Base. That should be enough to give him the support he needed to fully occupy Side 6 to "protect" it and to attack the Zeon home colonies with NBC weapons. He didn't care if billions more died, they were dumb spacenoids anyway. But that fiesty fleet was doing a hell of a lot better than they should... And he only had one week before Operation Star One begins. Once the main fleet launched, he was sure that Tianmen would come nosing around again.  
-  
"Damn it Wakkien! They need the resupply now! What are we waiting for?!" the Gorbachev's skipper, Major Taylor McNiel, inquired angrily.  
  
"Orders are orders," Wakkien replied coldly, "You must follow them."  
  
"If you aren't going to let me, then...."  
  
"You WILL get courtmartialed," he advised.  
  
"I don't care! I..."  
  
"But if you wait two more days, I might get you even more new equipment..." he replied in a more conspiratorial tone.  
  
"So?" he asked, not understanding what he meant.  
  
"In two days, you'll OFFICIALLY be part of the 17th Fleet along with your escorts. You can move to Malta Base at that time if you wish, and it will all be legal," he explained.  
  
"Wakkien, you realize we might be too late?"  
  
"This is the best I can do. But I will promise you this. That self-serving Nicolo will pay for this."  
-  
Although many regard Wakkien as a self-serving stuck up moron(which he is), I do believe he believes firmly in the EF and proper regulations/justice, and with a little encouragement could be made to do the "right thing." This is the TV version though(were he does a lot more, including sacrificing himself to save the WB.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
-  
BTW, again, are the mushy parts just okay with you guys? Especially the Sylvie and Max thing(I think it's obvious now) 


	27. Chapter 27: The Planning Phase

Chapter 27: The Planning Phase  
  
"Lieutenant Sylvie Gressier reporting," Sylvie declared as she entered the hangar. She was one minute early for her lessons.  
  
"Good to see you're still punctual, Sylvie," Max commented quietly.  
  
"If you don't mind, let's just get started," she replied in a tired tone.  
  
Max simply nodded, and opened the Trainer's cockpit.  
-  
The Gorbachev eased it was slowly out of Luna 2's dock. Wakkien had been true to his word, and had given him a brand new type of Guncannon a day ahead of schedule. A good enough gift, he hoped, for the 17th fleet. Technically, he was launching one day ahead of their agreement, but after further discussion Wakkien had allowed him and his escorts, the cruisers Actium and Quatre Bras, to launch for a "border patrol." He really needed to find that guy a good bottle of rum when he got back.  
-  
"You've improved," Max told Sylvie as she finished a series of complicated maneuvers, "I think we can call it a day."  
  
"What about gunnery practice?" she inquired.  
  
"Are you sure? EWACs aren't supposed to engange in combat," he reminded.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," she replied coldly.  
  
"Alright... let's get to the firing range..."  
-  
"Good day, sir, want the usual?" the bartender asked as one of his best customers entered his little pub. He looked just like another ordinary engineer who plied in and out of Granada, but he had a far different job.  
  
"Yeah, and it's not the shaken vodka martini, alright?" he replied with a grin.  
  
The bartender's eyebrows went up a notch. That was the signal, "The house cocktail then, gimme a minute sir..."  
  
The man nodded and paid the bill beforehand. Nobody could have seen a tiny piece of microfilm he had tucked neatly between the bills. Encoded in it were two documents. The first detailed Shoemaker's death. The second spoke of a rushed shipment that was to be delivered on the 10th. Within hours both documents were in the hands of Federation high command.  
-  
"What the hell do you mean I'm a 1st Lieutenant now..." Jean asked as he read the document.  
  
"Dunno sir, but orders are orders. Looks like you're second in command of the MS force now," Seargent Nance explained.  
  
"Why me?" he muttered.  
  
"Because you kept your cool I guess sir..." Nance explained, "And you've got plenty of experience."  
  
"Not with command..." he muttered.  
  
"Hell, you did a pretty good job running those Zeeks down. You'll do well sir, trust me. The rest of the boys look up to you and the Captain now."  
  
"Oh, really?" he asked, surprised at his stature.  
  
"Yes sir, and the boys are asking for some extra training time with you. After the they've gone through, they don't want to have their es kicked like that again. They lost a lot of good friends sir," he explained.  
  
"Well then, I'm not a great instructor but..."  
-  
"Wakkien! What do you mean you sent them the documents?!" General Nicolo shouted angrily over the videocom. Wakkien's facial expression did not change.  
  
"They were on the list of the recipients sir. That's why I sent them a copy," he replied coolly.  
  
"That's MY fleet..."  
  
"Excuse me, but that fleet is not your personal property, it is the Federation's."  
  
"Oh, and YOU'RE supposed to be a paradigm of justice now. How do you explain the Gorbachev's early departure?"  
  
"Major McNeil is under the jurisdiction of the 17th Fleet now. He could do as he wishes as long as General Dolvich has no complaints," he replied almost with a smile.  
  
"I ordered him to..."  
  
"Sir, I suggest you calm down. What's done is done. I'll simply report this to Admiral Tianmu when the time comes."  
  
"Wakkien..." General Nicolo started before Wakkien switched off the commlink. His aide behind him was chuckling.  
  
"Something funny?" he asked sternly.  
  
"Sorry sir," the aide replied, regaining his composure, "What do I say if he calls back?"  
  
"Oh, he won't. Start scattering Minovskly particles from the new ships. We want to make sure they work, don't we?" he replied.  
  
"Yes sir!" the aide replied enthusiastically. He grinned. That Wakkien had it in him after all.  
-  
Nicolo muttered a curse. That Wakkien was going to ruin everything, and now...  
  
"General Nicolo, Admiral Tianmu wants to speak with you," his aide reported.  
  
"What for?" he asked in an annoyed tone.  
  
"He says you're being transferred... you're going to launch with him when Star One begins," the aide explained.  
  
"Alright, fine... I'll get to him immediately..." he replied, trying to control his temper. He needed to think of a good explanation didn't he? But he could still execute his plan. After all, even if Dolvich knew about the shipment, he couldn't do anything about it could he?  
-  
Major Alfonso breathe a sigh of relief as he finally stepped out of Admiral Tianmu's office. Meeting with the top brass was always scary, particularly since he was new here. Just after John had been reassigned from the Skate General McCampbell had also reassigned him, this time to be the XO on the new Salamis class cruiser Borodino. He didn't complain. Surface ship officers were a dying breed, and this was probably a chance for him to keep his commission. Besides, it was a chance to be part of history. He'd been to what was probably the last battle that included surface warships, and now he was getting a chance to see the downfall of Zeon. He wondered if he'd meet John up there.  
-  
"Uhhh..." John started as he pored over the data, "Gimme a few minutes sirs..."  
  
"Look, don't be intimidated Recto. But do remember your job," General Dolvich explained.  
  
John nodded nervously. It was easy to be nervous when you're a Second Lieutenant surrounded by flag officers, even if your Captain and skipper were vouching for you. But he was there for a reason. He was there to find out what route the Zeon resupply ships were taking, and he couldn't fail Colonel Patterson and Captain Karl.  
  
"Alright sirs... if this document is true then the fleet would be leaving on the tenth, right sir?"  
  
The General nodded, it seemed that much was obvious.  
  
"And we need to clobber these ships before they get here..." he continued, taking a deep breathe before going on, "Alirght sir... the resupply fleet'll be composed of six ships. A pair of Papuas, three Musai, and a Zanzibar..."  
  
"Yes, yes..." Major Martel interrupted in an annoyed tone. John hadn't told them anything they hadn't known yet.  
  
"There are seven main routes that the Zeeks could take to get to our position," John explained as he showed them seven different colored lines on the map display, "We can rule out routes one, three, five and seven since those routes are too narrow for a Zanzibar. Now I can assume they'll be in a hurry, right sir?" he inquired.  
  
"Yes, unless they want to wait for OUR reinforcements," the General replied quietly.  
  
"Then we can rule out route six too, because it's a long twisted route and it'll slow down the progress of the fleet. That leaves two routes they can take..."  
  
"Which one do you think they'll be taking Lieutenant?" the Colonel asked. Come on John, put your nickname to good use.  
  
John took a deep breathe. He shook his head. Both were too similiar, he could not possibly figure out which. He had to find a compromise... "I don't know sir, but sir, the question should be where should we station the blocking force..."  
  
"Lieutenant..." Major Martel warned. His job was to figure out what the enemy was up to, not to tell them what to do.  
  
"What do YOU think," General Dolvich asked, intrigued. Wondering if they had the same idea...  
  
"Alright, sir... I assume we'll be sending out the Spruance, the Anzio and the Gloucester, right sir?"  
  
"Yes," the General replied coolly.  
  
"And how many Mobile Suits sir?" he further inquired.  
  
"Just us," Captain Karl explained.  
  
John nodded. Oh , it wouldn't be enough... but he had to make it work, "We should spilt the ships and the Mobile Suits up..."  
  
"Hold it... hold it..." a new voice interjected. It was Yang.  
  
"Give him a minute Colonel," General Dolvich intervened. Can you read my mind too, Magic?  
  
"We'll station the fleet here," he explained, pointing to what was Side 2's 43rd Colony, "While the MS force here," pointing to Side 2's 12th Colony, "That way sir, we can cover BOTH routes."  
  
"I doubt that Mobile Suits or warships alone could win against a force possesing more of both," Major Martel replied sharply.  
  
"Actually, no sir..." John explained, "You see, their standard formation is to put most of the warships, probably the Zanzibar and two Musais, forward, while the Papuas and a Musai in the rear..."  
  
"So?" Martel asked, not understanding the point.  
  
"I've positioned both forces so that once the enemy fleet makes contact with one of our groups, the second one could sweep in from behind and attack the Papuas. The Papuas could hold the most amount of equipment, and they should be our priority targets..."  
  
"Why don't you just figure out which route they're taking so we can concentrate our forces there?" Martel asked.  
  
"Sir, because there's only a fifty-fifty chance that I'll be right. And we'll most likely be only able to sink the warships and not the Papuas if we meet'm head on. A Zanzibar can carry a big complement of Mobile Suits, but it's smaller than a fully loaded Papua's. Besides sir, that Zanzibar may just be there purely for escort and have other duties to attend to afterwards," he concluded.  
  
Dolvich grinned. In reality, both he and Colonel Patterson had already thought out the same plan, but had called John anyway on the off chance he'd figure out which route Zeon was going to take. He didn't, as expected, and was honest about it. But he'd also come up with the same plan as the two most senior members of the group. That kid would make one hell of an officer someday... "Alright, so any complaints about the plan?"  
  
Martel leaned forward and frowned, he still didn't like it. But the kid was right, so... "I have no more objections."  
  
"Same here," Lieutenant Colonel Yang agreed. Ya, he thought, why didn't I think of that?  
  
"Let's do it!" Major Miles declared with a nod.  
  
"Alright, thank you Lieutenant, you can leave now..." the General ordered, and John was only too happy to leave. The Captain followed him.  
  
"John..." the Captain started as the door shut behind him.  
  
"I know... gone WAY over my..."  
  
"No, good job kid," the Captain commended, "What you said was actually the General's original plan, would you believe..."  
  
"You've got to be kidding..." John replied.  
  
"I'm not," the Captain replied firmly, "He'd already briefed me on it, and he wanted somebody with a lower rank like me to explain it to the rest of the officers, but you beat me to it."  
  
"Why the hell would he do that sir?" he asked, confused.  
  
"Because if soembody with a lower rank could convince the rest of the brass that it could work, then it WOULD work. It's a lot easier to nitpick a Lieutenant than a General you know..." the Captain explained.  
  
"That is a little weird..." John replied.  
  
"No, it's just one of the tricks of command."  
-  
"So is he going to be your son-in-law?" General Dolvich asked Colonel Patterson once they were alone in the room. The plan had been agreed upon, but he was still interested in that kid...  
  
"How..." Colonel Patterson started.  
  
"Major Martel saw him with you daughter Colonel, don't worry only the three of us and a Seargent Chan knows," the General explained with a smile.  
  
"I'm... I'm not sure sir. It's Cynthia's choice, not mine," he replied.  
  
"You don't want the same thing to happen to them eh?" he asked. His marriage to Patricia von Bock had been no secret, and had caused one hell of a ruckus in the officer corps.  
  
"Yes sir," Sean replied quietly, remembering the time he and Patricia spent together.  
  
"Well then, I suppose you'd better take good care of that kid..." the General added jokingly.  
  
"Sir, I will not be nepotistic," Sean replied defiantly. He was a man of his principles, and that was one of them.  
  
"I know that Sean, I know that," the General replied firmly. But don't take it for granted, he didn't add, or you might end up losing your daughter's love too... Like me.  
-  
Sylvie stretched her arms before she entered her room. She was bone tired. Two straight days of intensive pilotting lessons had seen to that, and Max was still a stern trainer. But she had improved, a lot, particularly in marksmanship. She now had a ninety percent accuracy rating compared to her initial ten percent, and her beam sabre skills were among the best in the fleet. The improvement on the rest of the troops had also been remarkble, and the Captain estimated that their effectiveness had increased by as much as two hundred percent. Seeing many friends die was part of their motivation, not wanting not to see that again was an even greater one.  
  
She laid down on her bed and looked at the two framed photographs in the desk beside her bed. One picture was of her and her father and sister. She sighed. It was the only picture of them together. Damn it Dad, she thought to herself angrily, why couldn't you care for me? I know you were mad at me because mom died giving birth to me... but I'm still your daughter aren't I? And I still love you... Or am I really just that difficult of a person? Even Big Sis tells me that... maybe I should write to you...  
  
She stood up and thought for a moment. "Yeah," she told herself quietly, "Why not?" She'd never done so after she'd joined the military over his objections, she thought to herself, and she had always been afraid that he would not write back. He would, wouldn't he? she thought and hoped. She started to search for a pen on the table. While searching her gaze shifted to the other photo. The memories it held were even more painful. It was of her and Max, in his now dead home colony. She quickly turned that photo face down into the table, before resuming her search.  
-  
Max sighed as he looked at her picture. He often wondered if he had done the right thing. He sighed again. even if it wasn't, he could never change anything now.  
-  
"Oh boy... this'll be hairy..." Major Miles muttered quietly as his cruiser entered the western minefield. This field had been laid by the Federation engineers to ensure that Zeon could not use this route to outflank Alpha Line, but he had to disassemble part of it now to give Patterson's fleet a way out. They didn't have enough resources to try to break through the Zeon lines, so Patterson would have to take this runabout route. It would be hairy, but the engineers on the K type Balls knew what they were doing. They would be done by the tenth.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
  
Any comments? Please?:D 


	28. Chapter 28: Interception Phase

Chapter 28: Interception Phase  
  
"Alright everybody, any questions?" Captain Karl inquired as he concluded the briefing. If the documents they had recieved were correct, the Zeon resupply fleet was launching today, and they had to move now if they wanted to stop it.  
  
"Sir, any word on what Mobile Suits they will be carrying?" Fred asked. It was highly unlikely they knew, but maybe intel got lucky for once.  
  
"Most are probably Zakus, but they will probably have a significant number of the fat, black mono-eyes we have been encountering recently. And..."  
  
Oh crap... John thought, what has Zeon developed now?  
  
"Possibly a new prototype Mobile Suit," the Captain continued, "But we aren't sure of it's capabilities. We think it's a Zeonic machine though, so it's probably just a souped up Zaku. At least that's what intel told us."  
-  
"So, is this the new prototype the Ace Pilot Corp has been testing?" Colonel Gerald Malik asked as he watched the dock workers load a new green colored Mobile Suit into one of his ships.  
  
"Yes, they call it the Gelgoog, and they say it is powerful enough to beat the White Devil. Its beam weapons and high maneuverability are a potent combination," Colonel Killing replied.  
  
"So why is Admiral Dozul not getting any yet?" the Colonel inquired acidly. His ship, the Zanzibar class cruiser Falklands, was part of Kishira's fleet, but he and most of his crew had spent most of the war serving under Admiral Dozul, and they all knew that man was to be respected.  
  
"It's not my concern, and neither should it be yours. Just get the supplies delivered."  
  
"With only fourteen combat ready Mobile Suits?" he replied, anger in his voice. His fleet was actually carrying a total of nearly forty Mobile Suits, but General Wavell had "requested" to keep most of them in storage to avoid possible damage during transit. Stupid ship driver, he thought. Wavell was one of those dinosaurs who were still stuck in the battleship era of the 60's, and the only reason why he wasn't gone yet was because he had Giren's ear. .  
  
"Don't worry about it Malik," Killing replied with an evil smile, "You'll be passing through friendly territory. Dealing with raiders is a Federation problem, not a Zeon one."  
  
"Don't too confident about your statement," was the cold reply.  
-  
It was easy to be nervous when several two ton mines were surrounding you, Colonel Patterson thought, but he had to trust the engineers that they had done their job. At least he could see the Johnston now, guarding the end of the path that had been carved by the minesweeping K-type Balls.  
  
"Very hairy..." Lt. Colonel Yang said out loud as his ship finally reached the end of the path. The Gloucester was just behind her.  
  
"Agreed sir," Major Martel muttered as the Gloucester finally passed by the minefield, "Miles, I really pity you since you still have to go back..."  
  
"Don't remind me..." Miles replied. The Johnston was merely there to wish them off and was to return to Malta Base once they were off. He didn't envy them. Their mission was most certainly going to be dangerous. More than a simple minefield transit, "Good luck!"  
  
"Thank you Miles," Colonle Patterson replied as the Spruance also passed by the minefield. Inside, he could hear everbody breathe a collective sigh of relief, "Alright, set a course for the 43rd Colony. Let's get ready for the party."  
  
"Aye sir," Lt. Colonel Yang replied, "Setting course for the 12th Colony," It had been decided to change the plan slightly. Instead of having two forces exclusively composed of Mobile Suits or ships it had been decided to split the ships and Mobile suits evenly between the two groups. The Gloucester, the Anzio, the GM Sniper and the EWAC GM on the 12th Colony, while the Spruance and the rest of the Mobile Suits on the 43rd. Yang wondered who would meet the enemy first.  
-  
"The damn waiting..." Ming said out loud as he tried to relax in the wardroom. He couldn't. He wanted to kill some more Feddies. For his family. And for himself.  
  
"We can't go until the supply fleet arrives," Mike replied in a dull tone. Partly because he was bored, but partly because of Mei Li's death. He wished he had gotten the chance to know her better. He wasn't sure if he could stand three more days of this.  
-  
"Now comes the damn waiting..." John declared as the 12th Colony's remains came to view early on the 11th. If the document was true the supply fleet wouldn't get here until the 12th, but they didn't want to leave that to chance. Besides, he thought, it would give them time to find a NICE hiding spot... "Sylvie, let's look for some cover."  
  
Sylvie barely nodded in reply. John had been on Earth during the One Week War, but not her. And the sight of the derilect colony sickened her. But it didn't hurt as much anymore. Maybe because the past days had left her numb, probably because she'd finally stopped caring... She turned and saw Max's GM Sniper, searching for a good sniping perch. He was deathly quiet as well.  
-  
"Sarge, you need some help with that?" Juan inquired.  
  
"Yeah... thanks," he muttered back. His GM had been repaired, but it still had an awful lot of bugs...  
  
"Seargent Chan, perhaps you should..." the Captain started.  
  
"No sir, don't worry about it. We probably still have a day," Fred replied. Besides, he didn't add, you need every man you've got.  
  
Karl nodded. He just hoped that he made the right decision.  
-  
"I have Malta Base sir!" the Gorbachev's communications officer jubiltantly reported. He'd been trying for three days since they had left Luna 2, and now...  
  
"Malta Base, this is the Gorbachev. Please respond," Major Taylor hailed.  
  
"This is General Dolvich, glad to hear from you Gorbachev..." the voice in the radio replied.  
  
"Are you alright sir?" Major Tyler replied, relieved that they were still alive, "Enemy reinforcements are..."  
  
"Being taken cared of."  
-  
"Bingo..." John declared quietly as the EWAC's cameras focused on a trio of moving objects, "Looks like they're here. Right on schedule. And they're heading right for us..."  
  
"Are you sure it's them?" Major Martel inquired.  
  
"Yes sir, I'm sure. Two Musais and a Zanzibar, up front, a couple of ships in the rear."  
  
"How many ships are there in the rear?"  
  
"Not sure sir, but we ought to tell the Colonel," John advised.  
  
"Done. Get ready and find some place to hide," the Major ordered.  
-  
"Alright, take us behind the enemy force XO," Colonel Patterson ordered. There was an off chance that they'd be spotted, but if they planned it correctly.  
-  
"Enemy Mobile Suits in sight," Max reported coolly, "Four Zakus and two of the new black ones."  
  
"Hold fire till I say otherwise," Lt. Colonel Yang ordered.  
  
Max nodded, and hoped they weren't going to be seen.  
-  
"There's the waypoint sir. Side 2's 12th Colony," the Falkland's XO reported to Colonel Malik.  
  
The Colonel nodded, but kept his eyes trained out. He still didn't trust the route was safe. But at least now that Wavell...  
  
Suddenly, a Zaku right in front of his ship exploded. The one beside it died a second later. "What the hell happened?!" he demanded, just as a Rick Dom exploded.  
-  
Three kills, Max thought, three to go. And they still hadn't spotted him. They were now diving for whatever cover they could find, but before they could he fired a fourth shot, and a Rick Dom tumbled out of control and exploded as it collided into a Musai. And now it was the perfect opportunity for the ships.  
  
"Perfect firing Rifle..." John commended as he started to center the lead Musai in his sights. The EWAC GM also had a "fire director" system linked to the ships' fire control systems to help the ships in aiming for their targets. And the system did not disappoint.  
  
The Gloucester and the Anzio each had five forward firing guns, and all were fired in the initial volley. The enemy ships were evading, but the fire director system improved accuracy greatly, and the lead Musai quickly took six hits and exploded. The second Musai started to turn towards the Gloucester, but Martel fired a second volley that took out its bridge. The Musai lost control and began to careen wildly, nearly colliding with the Zanzibar.  
  
Onboard the Falklands, Colonel Malik muttered a curse. A Federation problem only huh? WHAT RUBBISH! he thought angrily. That Wavell...  
  
"Sir! the Papuas are under attack!" the communications officer reported, trying but failing to contain his fear, "What do we..."  
  
"Prepare to launch our Mobile Suits! Let's show these Federation s what we can do!"  
-  
Unfortunately for the Zeon cruiser Dresden, which was a mile behind the lead ships, that was no longer possible. She now lay in pieces after taking four hits from the Spruance, and her Mobile Suit complement never even got the chance to get out of the hangar. The Papua class tarnsport Panay was luckier, being able to launch three suits before she was vaporized by the Spruance, and those three were now valiantly trying to protect the last surviving transport, the Tasmania.  
  
"Alright men, take'm down!" Captain Karl ordered as he fired a shot at one of the survivng Mobile Suits. The Mobile Suit, a Rick Dom, evaded, but Karl had fired two more follow on shots. The Rick Dom tried to evade, but the first caught its leg and left him helpless, allowing the second shot to finish him off. Fred fired his beam spray gun and killed a second Rick Dom, before a third started sneaking up behind him...  
  
"Fred!" Juan screamed as he saw the Rick Dom aim his bazooka at Fred. Before Fred could turn Juan fired his 90mm at the Rick Dom, his shells narrowly missing Fred's interposed GM. But his aim was perfect, and the Rick Dom slumped dead, still clutching the bazooka.  
  
"More Mobile Suits coming out of the last Papua!" Captain Karl reported as he fired a shot at one of the Papua's hangars. The shell hit a large fuel tank inside, and half of the Papua suddenly disappered from the resulting explosion as ammunition and fuel cooked off. A follow on volley from the Spruance finished it off, taking all but one of its Mobile Suits with it. And Juan quickly fired a final shot to finish the survivor off.  
  
"Well done!" Colonel Patterson commended, "Now let's go help take down that Zanzibar!"  
-  
"I'll take care of the Zanzibar, you finish off the Musai Martel," Lt. Colonel Yang ordered. Things were definitely going their way, he thought, as the last surviving Zaku exploded from a shot fired by Max. The enemy force didn't seem to have that many enemy Mobile Suits, but who was he to complain? A blinding flash to his left announced the destruction of the second Musai.  
  
"Got'm sir! Now let's take down that Zanzibar!" Major Martel reported confidently.  
  
"All ri..." Yang started before he saw a volly of nine beams lance out from the darkness and hit the Gloucester. All nine penetrated her thick hide and exited on the other side of the ship, leaving neat holes all around her hull. The Gloucester lingered for a moment, seemingly alive and well. But then a series of secondary explosions ripped through her hull, and the Gloucester was blown apart...  
  
"Martel!" Yang shouted, but knew he was gone. He suddenly felt a massive jolt as the Anzio took a hit.  
-  
"! Where the hell did THAT come from!?" John shouted angrily. It was the Gwajin type they had earlier encountered, though on closer inspection it was smaller and was a significantly altered. But a Gwajin was still a Gwajin, and nothing except a Pegasus could compare to it, and the wreckage of the Gloucester and the damaged Anzio certainly proved that. They didn't have a Pegasus class with them, but at least they had the Spruance.  
  
Colonel Patterson had arrived just in time to see the Anzio take several hits. She was damaged, but not destroyed. However, she was now limping away, disabled. And now he had two formidable Zeon ships against his. That was a problem.  
-  
"I have two new contacts! A Magellan type... and the Bismark!" the Falkland's communications officer reported jubilantly.  
  
"Let's take that Magellan head on!" Colonel Malik ordered, frustration in his voice. This was one of the Zanzibar's greatest design problems, most of its guns could only fire forward, and as a result he had not been able to engange the Federation cruisers earlier. But with that Magellan almost right in front of him..."And contact the Bismark!"  
  
"Mobile Suits are ready to be launched!" the XO reported. It had taken a while since they weren't on ready-5 status, but now...  
  
"Launch them now! And get the Gelgoog out first!" he ordered angrily  
  
"Malik, this is Wavell," the General's voice interjectted, "What the hell..."  
  
"Later... let's take that Magellan out first sir," he interrupted.  
  
"Alright, take him head on, and I'll try to deliver a full broadside on him," Wavell told him before signing off.  
  
Malik's face turned grim and determined. Hopefully that dinosaur can do something impressive.  
-  
"Come on men, take down that..." Captain Karl started before a bazooka shell took his GM's head off. He tried to evade, but was only partially succesful as his legs were blown off by the follow on shell,  
  
"It's that orange High Mobility type again!" Juan said as he fired a shot in its direction. It missed, but then the Rick Dom behind it was aiming his bazooka right at him. ! he thought, where was Max when you.  
-  
Mike grinned as he saw the second GM lose its shield and arm to his rocket. They were in the middle of a mess, but this was better than waiting around doing nothing. He fired again, but then the GM suddenly shot up right above him, far too quickly for him to follow and...  
  
Ming suddenly popped up just beside that GM and gave it a devastating shoulder charge. The GM's armor was badly dented and cracked, but Luna Titanium had once again saved Corporal Juan Ignacio. Before Ming could finish him off, fire from a third GM forced him to break off.  
  
Ming took a quick look around. Where is that Sniper? he thought warily.  
-  
Max aimed his beam rifle and bazooka carefully as the Zanzibar's hangar began to open. Suddenly, a Mobile Suit, blasted its way out of the hangar at high speed. The Mobile Suit, he saw, was a type he had never seen before.  
-  
This isn't a special issue K-type. I simply assume that minesweeping is just another one of those "noncombat" roles that a K-type Ball could fulfill.  
  
ready at a moment's notice.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	29. Chapter 29: Clash of the Titans

Chapter 29: Clash of the Titans  
  
Prototype MS or not, Max still had a job to do. Before the next Mobile Suit could leave the hangar he fired five bazooka shells right into the hangar. A massive explosion followed as several Mobile Suits inside cooked off simultaneously after taking hits. The crew inside frantically tried to contain the damage, but Max was not about to allow that. Max discarded the now empty bazooka and fired two follow on beams. One hit a propellant tank on one of the Rick Doms, and highly unstable gases quickly permeated the hangar. Before the crew could vent the gases, Max fired one last shot. The beam ignited the gases a second later. -  
"! What the hell was that!" Colonel Malik demanded as a massive explosion jolted the Falklands.  
  
"A ing enemy Mobile suit just blew our hangar up... Damn! The rest of the Mobile Suits have been destroyed!" the XO reported.  
  
"What!?" the Colonel replied in a shocked tone.  
  
"Magellan type! Dead ahead!" the gunnery officer reported.  
  
"Then open fire!!!" he ordered angrily.  
-  
"Mega Beam Cannons are ready sir!" the Spruance's XO reported as the two powerful beam cannons were deployed from their protective shells. Before he could speak again an explosion jolted the ship.  
  
"Damage report!" Colonel Patterson demanded.  
  
"One forward turret is gone, completely. Structural damage in compartments E thru G. Six dead, twenty two wounded," a young radio techie, Seargent Bennington, reported as he tried to keep his voice even. All around him, the rest of the bridge crew was equally stressed.  
  
"Alright, all main guns, fire!" the Colonel ordered.  
-  
Captain Roland Dujardin scowled angrily as he surveyed the remnants of the hangar from his Gelgoog. All the Mobile Suits inside had been completely destroyed. Along with the rest of his pilots. Damn it... where was that Federation sniper...  
  
A pair of massive red-purple beams suddenly sped by just in front of him. He'd never seen such powerful beams before... and he quickly turned to see what they were aiming for. They both went after the Falklands, and to his horror the Falklands had been hit by both beams, punching two massive holes that ripped the ship open from bow to stern. The ship continued to steam on for a few more seconds, but then the Zanzibar tipped over and began to spin uncontrollably. It was clear that she was a dead ship.  
-  
"Wow..." Seargent Bennington said quietly as he watched in awe to what had happened to the Zanzibar. Some beam...  
  
"Damn! The port cannon took some damage!" the XO reported. That was the problem with prototypes...  
  
"What about the starboard one?" the Colonel inquired.  
  
"Five minutes to charge... but..." the XO started but was stopped midword by a massive jolt, "! That Gwajin..."  
  
"Won't wait for that long... I know!" the Colonel continued for him, "Begin evasive maneuvers!"  
-  
Roland may not have a place to return to now, but he'd found him. That Sniper. He quickly fired two shots at Max's GM Sniper.  
  
"!" Max shouted just as he barely evaded both shots. Beam weapons! How'd Zeon get one so fast?! he thought angrily. He quickly fired a shot back at the Gelgoog.  
  
Roland saw the beam come and was quick to evade. He fired twice again, but the Sniper's pilot was good, he reflected, and he evaded again. He fired a third shot, which the GM evaded, but this time he charged the GM... producing his beam Naginta to hack the Sniper apart...  
  
Max saw that, and fired a shot at the charging Gelgoog. It missed, and Max was barely evaded the Gelgoog's opening slash. Max quickly produced his own beam sabre, but before he could his arm was blown away by a rocket fired by a new arrival. It was the orange High Mobility type.  
  
"Your luck has run out Sniper..." Ming declared with a grin as he charged Max. He was glad Mike was keeping the surviving undamaged GM to let him finally kill this ...  
  
Max saw the two Zeon Mobile suits charging straight for him, and frantically tried to evade. He couldn't. The Gelgoog quickly hacked away a leg and decapitated his GM, while the Zaku kicked his GM in the chest, causing some monitors to explode inside his cockpit and showering him with fragments. He moaned painfully as he tried to get up, but knew that this was it. He could only hope that Sylvie...  
  
"Thanks R-type pilot," Roland told his new companion, "Looks like you two have a history with each other, send him on his way," he ordered. Ming only grinned in reply.  
  
"Oh !" Fred shouted as he saw the Zaku raise its axe to finish off Max. He needed to help, but with everbody else badly damaged and that damn Rick Dom...  
  
"Go straight to hell," Ming told the Sniper as he began to swing his axe downwards to the GM's cockpit.  
  
"SYLVIE!" John protested as she aimed her 90mm machine gun. If they didn't get away now...  
  
"John, SHUT UP!" she growled and fired a burst. The bullets hit the High Mobility type's arm, severing it along with its axe. Both Zeon machines turned to face her, and one was aiming its beam rifle, but Sylvie fired another burst, and the Gelgoog's arm was also lopped off along with its rifle. She started to aim for the cockpit, but before she could do so both Mobile Suits suddenly broke off and began to charge her...  
  
"Damn you..." Roland muttered quietly as he charged the EWAC, beside him, Ming was charging it as well...  
  
"What do we do now Sylvie?" John asked worriedly as she fired several bursts at the approaching Mobile Suits. Some shells hit, but the damage was not serious, and if this goes on...  
  
Ming stopped a few hundred meters away from the EWAC and aimed his remaining weapon, the bazooka. He was just about to fire when he suddenly felt a massive jolt coming from below, sending him tumbling around in his cockpit. He had only belatedly realized that his legs had been blown off. The culprit, once again, was that sniper, who had hit his legs using his backup beam weapon. The GM fired another shot at him, but he managed to squeeze off a round in reply. The beam just barely missed his now severely damaged Zaku, but his shot did not.  
  
It was finally over, Max thought, as he saw his second arm disappear in the blast. At least maybe he'd given Sylvie a fighting chance, but the Trainer was up against a new prototype. But in any case, he thought as the Zaku aimed its bazooka again, he would never know anyway...  
  
Ming grinned savagely as he depressed the trigger, fully expecting to finish the GM off. But nothing happened. To his rage he realized he had run out of ammunition, and was now just as helpless as the Sniper. He'd have to let that Gelgoog take him out now...  
  
"Crap..." John said out loud as the Gelgoog charged them. The GM had already dumped its radar shield to give it some extra maneuverability, but that prototype was good.  
  
Roland centered the GM on his sights and prepared to slash it in half. The GM was still firing wildly, but there was little damage to his Gelgoog. Just as he was about to reach the GM a lucky 90mm shot hit his Gelgoog in the head and blew its main camera apart. He was shocked that it had happened, but he knew that a backup camera would...  
  
That's my chance! Sylvuie thought as she saw the Gelgoog's head explode. She quickly threw her nearly empty machine gun away in favor of her beam sabre, and charged the Gelgoog. Just before she could slash its cockpit the Gelgoog blocked her beam sabre with its own weapon. Sylvie looked on in shock... sure that...  
  
"Not bad, but not good enough!" Roland taunted as he viciously kicked the Trainer, nearly shattering its chest...  
  
Sylvie's body told her that she had been injured, but she didn't care anymore. As her Trainer was being thrown backwards she tried to slash back at the Gelgoog. She caught both of the Gelgoog's legs with her beam sabre, slicing both of them off, but she knew that taking off its legs wouldn't be enough... she snarled back in defiance as she prepared for its final attack...  
  
Roland muttered a curse. BOTH his legs were gone, and most of the Gelgoog's main thrusters had been installed there rather than its traditional location in the backpack. The AMBAC computer was now trying to rebalance the suit, but with his main thrusters gone...  
  
Sylvie did not hesitate when she saw the Gelgoog pause for a moment, and she quickly charged the Gelgoog one last time, intending to at the very least take that prototype with her. The Gelgoog was surprised and tried to block, but Sylvie was too close, and she quickly thrust her sabre into the Gelgoog's chest...  
  
Alarm claxons began to ring inside Roland's cockpit, telling him that a catastrophic explosion was only seconds away. He thrust his Naginta at the GM one last time, planning to take that pilot with him. You might have done well Federation pilot, he thought, but you're coming with me! The tip of his beam Naginta had just barely managed to penetrate the Trainer's thin hide when his Gelgoog exploded.  
  
John winced as he saw the explosion, but to his enormous relief Sylvie had managed to back the GM away enough to keep themselves from being caught in the blast. His left arm may have been broken, but at least he was alive... He breathe a sigh of relief before saying, "Wow... not bad Sylvie..."  
  
"Just..." Sylvie started weakly.  
  
"Sylvie?"  
  
"Tell Max that we're even," she finished, before coughing out some blood. It really hurts.... Sylvie thought as she began to feel darkness overcome her. She suddenly slumped face down over her console.  
-  
"Come on Ming, let's go..." Mike encouraged as he dropped his bazooka.  
  
"Yeah, sorry buddy," Ming replied, embarassed.  
  
"Nah, don't worry. Let's just get out of here," he concluded, as he grabbed Ming's R-type and dragged it and his friend away.  
-  
"How many guns do we have left?" Colonel Patterson inquired as his ship took another hit. They had been squaring off with the Bismark for around half an hour now, and it was starting to go badly for the Spruance. They had knocked out one of the Bismark's turrets, but the had slipped behind them and was now pumelling his ship into submission.  
  
"Two more turrets are down, and only one rear turret left to shoot back at them," the XO growled, "What do we do?"  
  
"How's the Anzio?" Sean inquired. If he could get a second ship to outflank that red monster...  
  
"Yang says she's beat. We're going to have to tow her back if we make it out alive," the XO replied grimly.  
  
"Then let's try to evade for a while XO..." Sean ordered. The enemy warship could probably catch up with them very soon, but at least it would give them some time to think.  
-  
It was getting frustrating, Yang thought, as he saw the battle unfold. He couldn't help the Spruance, couldn't draw some fire, couldn't do a damn thing! The repairs were ongoing, but at the rate it was going it would take...  
  
Suddenly, a trio of red purple beams flew by right beside his ship and struck the enemy battleship. He saw much to his delight that one of the enemy ship's turrets had been knocked out. He turned around and saw a Salamis class cruiser off in the distance. It was the Johnston.  
  
"Major Miles here," the Johnston's commanding officer declared, "Sorry, we're late, but let's go get that a !"  
-  
"We've recovered all Mobile Suits sir," the Bismark's XO reported to General Wavell.  
  
"How many?" he inquired.  
  
"Only the two that we brought, that's all," he replied grimly.  
  
"All right then," Wavell replied solemnly. He only had three guns left in one turret now, and he wasn't planning to die yet, even if he had only killed one ship, "Let's get out of here, flank speed."  
-  
"Miles am I glad to see you," Colonel Patterson told his old shipmate as the Johnston pulled up beside the Spruance. The enemy battleship was falling back now, and his battered ships could not pursue. Might as well, he thought, he had already lost twenty two crew to that monster...  
  
"Sorry I was late sir," he apologized, "We detected that big monster heading towards you a couple of hours after you left, and General Dolvich sent me to trail her. Good thing I managed to catch up. That sucker was fast..."  
  
Sean nodded in reply. The Spruance's badly damaged rear superstructure certainly reflected that.  
  
"Anyway sir, I think it's high time we get the hell out of here."  
  
"You're right Miles. Begin recovering Mobile Suits immediately."  
-  
"Sylvie, wake up! Sylvie..." John shouted as he tried to revive her, but he couldn't. She was still alive, but blood was dripping down her forehead, and he couldn't find where...  
  
"Tell her to hold on just a little longer John..." Fred advised. He had dragged the Trainer almost to the hangar now, and he just hoped...  
  
"Come on Sylvie... don't die," Max encouraged quietly, his battered GM Sniper just beside her Trainer, "And yes, I know... we're even now..."  
  
"Maybe you should tell her something else," John muttered.  
  
"John, just..." Fred started.  
  
"I know... I know... I'm going to shut up now..." John replied.  
  
And also... I do care about you, Max thought but did not have the courage to say out loud. So don't die.  
-  
Mike shook his head as he observed the damage on Ming's Zaku. He was't sure if...  
  
"Looks like I'll have to use a Rick Dom for a while..." Ming told him sadly as he joined his friend.  
  
"You might end up using a Rick Dom permanently," Mike warned.  
  
"I know..." he replied with a sigh.  
  
"Or you might get something else..." Mike told him with a grin.  
  
"After losing a SECOND prototype..."  
  
"Actually, that WASN'T a prototype," Mike replied as he handed him a file, "They're gonna mass produce that thing now you know..."  
  
"But would they give it to a wash out pilot like me?" he scoffed.  
  
"Unless they want to lose more men to that sniper, they'll have to," Mike replied, "So cheer up, alright?"  
  
Ming nodded. Mike sure was one reliable friend.  
-  
"Cracked ribs, internal bleeding, and a real bad concussion," John told the rest of the 44th as he got Sylvie's medical report. He smiled before continuing, "But she'll live. She can be back up and running in three or four days."  
  
"Boy, I really thought we'd lose a lot of people back there," Fred declared. And boy were they lucky...  
  
"Yeah..." Juan agreed. Both his and the Captain's GMs were nearly total wrecks now, and he was relieved to make it out in one piece.  
  
"Umm... those who want to visit her can do so in about two hours..." John added, looking at Max.  
  
"She'll be fine..." Max told John.  
  
"Max, look... I don't know much about..."  
  
"So leave it alone," Max interjected firmly.  
  
"Just don't suddenly regret it in the future," John replied coldly.  
  
"I..." Max started before stopping himself. He might regret it indeed.  
-  
This is not the B type Gelgoog that also has backpack thrusters. This is just the A type whose thrusters are in the legs and skirt armor. -  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	30. Chapter 30: Operation Star One

Chapter 30: Operation Star One  
  
"Easy... easy..." Lt. Colonel Yang encouraged quietly as his ship was slowly being towed across the minefield. His ship's engines were still off line due to the damage suffered in the earlier battle, but he was still more fortunate than the Gloucester. But not if he had the incredible misfortune of hitting a friendly mine...  
  
"Alright sir, we've cleared the minefield," the XO reported.  
  
Yang nodded and saluted one of the K-type Balls that had helped his ship maneuver pass the mines. The Ball's manipulators almost comically saluted back, before returning to the task of re-laying the mines that they had removed.  
  
"Welcome back, Anzio," General Dolvich welcomed as the ship came into view, being towed behind the Spruance and the Johnston. The Gorbachev had also arrived bringing much needed supplies. But that wasn't the only good news of the day.  
-  
Dec. 14 Federal Forces HQ, Jaburo - EFSF Battleship "Titan"  
  
"Admiral Tianmu sir! Welcome onboard!" the Titan's Captain greeted. The rest of the bridge crew quickly stood up from their stations and saluted.  
  
The Admiral returned their saluted and nodded, "Alright, how is the launch going?"  
  
"Sir, everything is going according as planned," the Captain reported, "The Luna 2 fleet has already arrived to cover our launch, and the first batch of ships had arrived in space without incident."  
  
"How about our, "little surprise" for the Zeeks?" he inquired with a grin.  
  
"All we need to do is set it up in the battlefield area. We're going to give those Zeon s a surprise..." the Captain replied with a grin. It had taken a while to develop it, but Federation scientists had finally perfected the "secret weapon," and they were going to give that Admiral Dozul one hell of a surprise.  
-  
"It's hard to believe that this place was just attacked two weeks ago," Major Alfonso commented as his tranport aircraft flew over the Borodino's launching pad. Much of the foilage and fixed defenses had been destroyed in the drop operation last November, but nearly all of it had been repaired or replaced. It would certainly make the launch a whole lot safer.  
-  
", this is very bad..." the pilot of a Reconnaisance Zaku muttered to himself as he saw the gathering Federation fleet. Much of the orbital patrol fleet under Doren had been lost some time earlier after a battle with the "White Devil," while most of the surviving units had been sent to follow it to Side 6. Damn it! he thought, we need more...  
  
"Let's get out of here now," the pilot of the senior escorting Zaku ordered. The number of enemy units was growing, and if they didn't get away soon...  
  
A volley of beams suddenly struck the Recon Zaku and blew it apart. The two other Zakus with him died a second later. He tried to turn and flee, but instead he ran right into a trio of Balls. Before he could do anything, all three fired, and his Zaku broke apart around him.  
-  
"Enemy patrol has been wiped out! No casualties," the battleship Magellan's communications chief reported with a slight smile.  
  
Colonel Wakkien merely nodded. With all the ships launching, it would still take some time to properly organize the fleet. But everything was going on schedule, and they would reach their first objective by Christmas Eve. He wondered if Nicolo would like his place in the line.  
-  
"That ..." Colonel Patterson muttered as Major Taylor concluded the briefing about Nicolo's activities. He was setting all of them up for his own damn selfish reasons, no matter how many young kids had to die. That self-serving no good son of a...  
  
"And he was planning to blow us all up with a Zeon nuke too," the Major concluded as he showed them a document, "This is only a copy, but in this letter he had given the engineering crew orders to blow up this base with a nuke when capture seems imminent. To blame it on Zeon..."  
  
"Where's the orginal?" the General inquired coldly.  
  
"With Admiral Tianmu, of course," the Major replied with a grin, "He's making sure that Nicolo will have a nice front row seat at Solomon... He'll have a nice courtmartial if he survives."  
  
"What about the nuke?" Colonel Patterson asked. He didn't think he could sleep very well knowing a "friendly" bomb was set to vaporize them at any moment...  
  
"Taken cared of," the Major replied as he showed him a document, "Colonel Wakkien was nice enough to give me a recall order for a nuke, and a couple of other neat stuff..."  
-  
"Well, looks like I'm back to a regular GM..." Juan said somberly as he observed the damage on his E-type GM. The frame itself had been badly bent courtesy of a shoulder charge by that High-Mobility Zaku, and the engineers had deemed it unsafe for combat operations.  
  
"Don't worry, why don't you take mine?" Fred offered. Juan was a better pilot after all...  
  
"That won't be necessary," the Captain interjected as he joined the two, "Looks like the R&D boys have something new for you Corporal."  
  
"Sir?" the two of them asked together, intrigued.  
  
"There," the Captain answered as he pointed to the GM at the far end of the hangar, "They call it the GM Commando, and I hear it's a much better suit than an ordinary GM..."  
  
"Yes sir, that's most certainly true!" the chief mechanic added as he joined them as well, "It's got a rapid fire beam gun, and it's nimble enough for to do those stupid tip-toe stunts in ballet. It isn't made of Luna-Titanium though, so you'd better be more careful..."  
  
The Captain grunted in annoyance once the chief had finished. The chief was a good mechanic, but he was a little overbearing sometimes...  
  
"Oh, sorry sir. But I've also got something to cheer you up," the chief added quickly with a grin, "THAT suit, is yours sir," he continued as he pointed to a Mobile Suit that carried a pair of massive cannons on its shoulders. It was one of the GM's cousins, the Mass Production Type Guncannon.  
  
"That isn't mine cheif, it has a Major's insignia on it," the Captain objected.  
  
"Well in that case, congratulations on your promotion sir!" the chief replied with smile, "Guess they wanted to surprise you."  
  
"I haven't..." Karl started before remembering that Patterson just LOVED to surprise his officers. He'd already had the same treatment when he was promoted to Captain. He shook his head, that Colonel...  
  
"What about the Sniper and the EWAC?" Fred asked. After all, both had also been severely damaged, and he'd hate to lose Max's killer sniping ability.  
  
"I'm still fixing them, but they'll be done in three or four days more. Where's the pilot of that EWAC anyway, I heard she did a hell of a job shooting down a beam-totting prototype on her second combat sortie. You suppose she's one of those freaks that Revil and the Zeeks are talking about all the time?" he finished, albeit in a diminished tone. The concept of Newtypes had not been exactly welcomed by all quarters of the Federal Forces. In fact they were even looked upon with suspicion.  
  
"Well, she hasn't killed a couple of famous aces has she?" the Captain replied. Though the Gundam's exploits were still a secret, it was very difficult NOT to spread morale boosting news like the death of the Black Trinary to the troops, and unavoidably some of the details would be leaked out. He could not have guessed that that was about to change forever.  
-  
"Bless you," John told Sylvie with a smile as he saw her sneeze just as he entered her room. She was still confined to bed, but it really looked as if...  
  
"What do you want now John..." she muttered back in an annoyed tone before sneezing again. Damn it... she thought, she must've been infected or something...  
  
"Just brought you some new reading materials. Helps relieve the boredom," he continued with a grin, "The docs say you're one real pain you know..."  
  
"I'm a pain, is that it?" she asked coldly. That was one VERY wrong thing to say right now John...  
  
"Well, most of the time you are," he replied bluntly, "Anyway, what do you want, Pride and Prejudice, the news, or the updated GM manual?"  
  
Sylvie considered it for a moment. She WAS bored, but wasn't sure what to read. The news was crap, she knew, since they always got late or REALLY badly editted news. The GM Manual was interesting, but technical manuals would bore her even worse. That left Pride and Prejudice. She'd read part of it before the war and liked it, but then...  
  
"Okay, looks like Pride and Prejudice it is," John told her with a smile, "It's really nice, the forerunner of the modern romantic comedy and..."  
  
"John, how the hell..." she started.  
  
"You were staring at it, Sylvie. It became pretty obvious then," he replied in a sarcastic tone, "Another one of your traits."  
  
"Fine, mind reader... just give me the book..." she muttered with a sigh.  
  
John nodded as he handed her the novel, "Enjoy it, I still have some stuff to do..." he finished as he headed for the door. Stuff like talking with your Mr. Darcy  
-  
"Why didn't you hand her the book yourself?" John asked as he joined Max waiting outside. It was Max who had "suggested" the Pride and Prejudice novel.  
  
"Nothing John. Forget about it. Now do you want to learn some emergency pilotting or not?" he replied coldly.  
  
"Alright, alright..." John muttered in reply. He only hoped he didn't wet his pants like the battle with that prototype, though thankfully nobody had noticed that embarassing fact.  
  
"And John, if you ever tell this to anyone..."  
  
"You'll shoot a neat hole in the Electronic Warfare officer's cockpit in the EWAC next time we go out?" he asked jokingly.  
  
Max's cold stare quickly told him it would be something much worse than that.  
-  
Sylvie sighed as she brushed past the pages of the book. It was a good story, but it was part of their history together, and she just wanted to forget it all. Maybe I really should've just gone home back in January, she thought to herself, just as he told me. I was pretty devastated by what had happened, even more than he was. But I just had to stay, and now I've changed. And now I don't feel anything in my heart anymore... only pain and loneliness. And he couldn't even care one bit about that... damn him...  
  
"Max... I hate you..." she muttered quietly to herself, before throwing the book into the floor. -  
"More bad news, General?" Cecilia Irene asked coldly as Wavell's face appeared on the videocom. You'd better have a damn good excuse...  
  
"Yes, my supplies are gone. The damn crew of the Falklands..."  
  
"Can you attack and destroy the enemy base or not?" she asked, cutting him off. If he was just going to blame the crew of the Falklands again...  
  
"With a little more..."  
  
"There shall be no more reinforcements. NONE," she emphasized, her already icy stare growing colder by the second.  
  
"Then I can not," he replied honestly.  
  
"Fine, return to Granada immediately. We now have more important matters to attend to."  
  
"Has the Federation begun its..."  
  
"None of your concern, just return immediately," she finished, before turning off the radio. Damn him! she thought. You're going to pay now.... She turned to an aide, "Contact our agent, arrange for the accident."  
-  
"Colonel, have you been keeping secrets from me again?" Karl asked as he met the Colonel in the wardroom for dinner.  
  
"Well, I guess the secret's out eh?" Sean replied with a smile, "You deserve it Karl."  
  
"After the that has been happening..."  
  
"Modesty is also a pretty good quality Karl," Sean continued, "But don't over do it. You've done enough to save this fleet twice over, so stop complaining about it."  
  
"Well, yes..." Karl agreed. But what use was another increase in rank? Extra pay? He scoffed at that. He had nobody to send the money back to anyway... He sighed. Jessica.  
-  
"Good morning XO," Generall Wavell greeted as his Executive Officer enetered his room, "What brings you here at this hour?"  
  
"I was just going to hand you..."  
  
"My death sentence?" he asked in a wicked tone, "I don't think so..."  
  
Suddenly the XO felt a pair of strong arms grabbing him. He struggled, but then he felt the cold barrel of a gun pressed against his skull, "General sir..."  
  
"And I trusted you..." he scoffed as he pulled something out of the XO's pocket. It was a silenced 9mm pistol.  
  
"Sir, you must believe..."  
  
"Your friend from the Wilhelm has already talked. Don't try to weasel your way out of this," the General replied coldly, "Tell me all that you know now, or you might die of a a severe brain hemorrhage like he did."  
  
"I... I..." the former XO replied, his voice shaking. He didn't want to die... he didn't want to... "Alright... all the data is in my room. Tucked in the framed photograph beside my bed," he confessed, defeated.  
  
"Thank you," Wavell replied with a grin. He then aimed the silenced 9mm at his XO's forehead. The XO's eyes went wide as his mouth began to open to plead his case, but before he could speak Wavell pulled the trigger, and the body slumped dead on the ground.  
  
"Clean this up," the General ordered to his two loyal guards. They both nodded as they began to drag the body away. So, he thought, the invasion has begun eh? A perfect opportunity to redeem myself. The Federation Fleet wouldn't be so formidable, all he had to do was to find some way to share in the glory that would soon be Zeon's.  
-  
December UC 0079- Libot Colony, Side 6  
  
"What's happening?" a man asked as he saw a small crowd gathering around the electronics store. All of the TV sets on display seemed to be all tuned into one channel...  
  
"It's a battle! Right here!" a young boy jubilantly answered. Living in a neutral colony, he had yet to see part of the war that had consumed half of mankind. And he had yet to understand its full horrors.  
  
"Isn't this dangerous?" a young mother asked. Worried about her infant child.  
  
"Feh," an independence activist in the background scoffed, "Those Federation idiots don't stand a chance..."  
  
"Three... Four..." a second young boy, one right in front of the screen, counted out loud.  
  
"My God, is the white one a Federation Mobile Suit?" an onlooker asked.  
  
"Five... Six... " the young boy continued.  
  
"Are those battleship beams that one is firing?!" another onlooker, this one a disabled veteran, shouted out loud.  
  
"Seven... Eight..." the young boy continued once again.  
  
"What are you counting kid?" the activist asked.  
  
"The number of Zeon suits the white one took down..." he explained before resuming his count, "Nine. And there goes the ship..."  
  
"What?!" the activist asked as he pushed his way through the crowd. He was just in time to see a Zeon Tibe class cruiser explode.  
  
All around Side 6, millions watched as the little battle unfolded in their peaceful part of space. Most people have already heard about the war that had devastated their neighbors, some had even seen it. And they had also known about Zeon's technological superiority thanks to their Mobile Suits. A superiority that was said to make a Federation victory impossible.  
  
That all changed right here, at this moment. Any military tactician worth his salt would have known that the force the "White Devil" had defeated was no great part of the mighty Zeon fleet. Any high-ranking Federal official would have known that this victory paled in comaparison with the White Base's other achievements. But unlike before, this time millions of ordinary people were there to see it, and what they saw was Federal troops, winning, against seemingly hopeless odds. It was moments like this that journalists wait for for all their lives. It was a moment that would leave indelible marks on the millions who watched it, moments that would become part of their heritage, moments that turn simple actions into legends. And from that moment on, despite the frantic ravings of a few, the people of Libot finally knew who would win the One Year War.  
  
However, people seemingly missed out one important detail. In an age where men pilotted giant killing machines instead of facing each other man to man, it became easy to forget that there were still human beings who were in those machines. That a person had died each time the young boy continued his count, that dozens of men were snuffed out as the Tibe's reactors cooked off. And that within the Gundam's white shell, a reluctant young man still resided, one that was about to face a tragedy greater than any he had faced before.  
-  
Of course, I'm referring to the Gundam's battle at Side 6. The chief protagonist of the said novel, I think... Hey, I just learned this from the Discovery Channel!  
I'm not sure of the date yet, so it'll be added later.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
  
There, any comments? Espcially about the Side 6 part:D.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
"Never, has so much, been owed by so many, to so few."  
-Prime Minister Winston Churchill. After the Battle of Britain 


	31. Chapter 31: Letters

Chapter 31: Letters  
  
Dec. 20- Fire Base Malta, Side 2  
  
"Sylvie, you shouldn't be up yet," Max said quietly as he spotted her walking unsteadily across the hallway. Her only reply was a cold stare.  
  
"Even if you're mad at me, don't let that cloud your judgement," he continued coldly, "Even if the docs said you could be up and running in only four days, it's best to get some rest. Especially while things are quiet."  
  
"Whatever," she replied back in an equally cold tone, "But I still have a job to do..."  
  
"Erghh... excuse me?" John interrupted as he joined the two.  
  
"John!" both of them warned angrily. He always just seemed to have perfect timing...  
  
"This is a quick one, alright?" he replied meekly, "The Clark has returned from its supply run to Side 6, and I have letters..."  
  
"For me?" Sylvie asked rather excitedly. She had sent her letter with the Clark when it had left two days ago to get some non-military supplies from Side 6, but she couldn't believe that they'd reply THAT fast...  
  
"Yeah, from one Andrea Gressier..." John started as he handed her an envelope.  
  
Sylvie smiled lightly, but felt disappointed. She sighed, she missed her sister, but she so much wanted to hear from her father...  
  
"And one Philip Gressier," he finished with a grin as he showed her a very thick envelope. Her father obviously had many things to say.  
  
Sylvie stopped almost motionless for a moment, partly shocked, mostly overjoyed. So he did care, after all, she thought to herself, and she felt as if she'd ben resurrected from the grave. So much so that she was quickly wrapped her arms around John and gave him a hug. "Thanks John!" she told him with a smile as she grabbed the letter.  
  
"Uhhh... yeah," he replied, embarassed, "Now please get off me before somebody notices..."  
  
Sylvie angrily pushed him away and stared at him icyly. Sheesh, she thought, did he have to be so damn blunt and insensitive even at a time like...  
  
"And I already have somebody waiting for me mind you," he explained, "So please..."  
  
"You already have a girlfriend?" she asked, surprised, he didn't seem like...  
  
"Sort of," he replied quickly, lest he start blushing, "Don't tell me your jealous..." he countered, his mouth forming an evil grin, before Sylvie slapped him in the left cheek.  
  
"Idiot..." she told him told him coldly, while John massaged his cheek. Serves you right! she thought, you have such an enormous chin to say that...  
  
"I have other things to attend to now..." Max interjected before starting to walk away. He'd seen the little conversation go on in front of him, and despite Sylvie's anger at him he couldn't keep himself from being a little happy for Sylvie. That father and daughter pair had serious problems to work out...  
  
"Uh, Max..." John started.  
  
"Leave him alone," Sylvie interrupted sternly, "We have nothing to talk about anyway."  
  
"Is that why you hugged me instead of him?" he added jokingly, to which Sylvie replied with a SECOND slap, this time on the right cheek, "Hey, stop it!" he pleaded, "Just go read the damn letters already!"  
  
"Good idea John," she replied, as she quickly turned away and started walking to her room.  
  
John sighed. He was really beginning to wonder how the hell Max had ever.  
-  
"Sir, are you certain about these orders?" Colonel Jefferson asked as he scanned through the letter handed to him by General Wavell. The orders contained in it seemed rather... unconventional.  
  
"Yes Colonel, I am certain. Are you questioning our Commander Giren?" Wavell replied coldly.  
  
"Well, at least we'll be out of this hell-hole soon," he replied. He was surprised that the Federation Fleet hadn't attacked them yet in the past week, but maybe because they were just plain exhausted. A week of intensive combat operations could do that to a crew... or maybe they were just being cautious after the last time...  
  
"Any additional problems Colonel? And can you handle the Wilhelm?" the General asked.  
  
Jefferson considered it for a moment. The plan was for the Wilhelm and three of the remaining Musais to return to Granada, largely to distract the enemy fleet, while the Bremen and the Bismark were sent to a top-secret base in Side 2 to help defend it. He'd served in Musais all his career, but he shouldn't have much problem with a Tibe..."No problems sir. Just wish me luck."  
  
"Good," he replied with an evil smile. This ought to satisfy that Cecilia while I go about my plan... "Sieg Zeon!"  
-  
"Where is the Side 2 fleet?!" Cecilia asked the commander at Granada angrily. The commander, a loyal member of Kishira's staff, was a lot more difficult to work with than Killing...  
  
"They say they are still having difficulties, but they are returning today," the commander replied simply.  
  
"They were supposed to have been recalled FIVE days ago..." Cecilia fumed.  
  
"Actually, I have recieved a document from High-Commander Giren telling me otherwise," he replied matter of factly as he showed her a signed letter from the Zeon leader.  
  
"What!?" she replied before controlling her temper, "Very well then, I'll check," she concluded as she switched off the videocom.  
  
"Mam, I'm sorry but we have other matters to attend to..." her aide reported meekly.  
  
"What now?" she asked wearily. It had been a hectic week since the Federation fleet had launched from Jaburo...  
  
"Admiral Dozul is asking what has happened to his shipment of MS-14s and the necessary components to complete his Big Zam... I've tried to explain but..."  
  
"Alright, alright... patch him through," she replied without much enthusiasm. The angry Admiral's face appeared in the video screen a second later, obviously VERY pissed off.  
-  
Maybe we should have attacked them, Jean thought as he observed the Zeon positions, but with just a slight numerical superiority afforded by the Gorbachev's reinforcements and the sobering lesson of their first assault the brass had generally called for a halt to offensive operations except for the occassional artillery bombardment. But now something was up, he could feel it...  
  
"They seem to be cutting down on their patrols, eh Jean?" now Major Karl asked as he pulled his Guncannon beside Jean's GM, "You don't think they're leaving are you?"  
  
"Maybe we ought to ask for a recon patrol?" Jean suggested.  
  
Karl nodded, "Alright, let's request for one. Call Colonel Patterson."  
-  
Her father's letter wasn't actually that long, but there was a different reason why the envelope was so thick. He had also included pictures. She read the letter again. It was short, but...  
  
Sylvie, I'm sorry that I always made you feel responsible, the letter said. Responsible for your mother's death and my own anger and sadness. But the truth is, I'm proud of you. Even if you were always so rebellious and headstrong you reminded me of your mother. And I hope that one day you could finally come home so we can have a talk. But for now, here's something from your past. I'm sorry that I'd never shown this to you before, that I made you think that you weren't loved. But I hope, now you could really understand how I feel about you, my daughter.  
  
Sylvie looked at the pictures. They were of a baby girl being held lovingly by thirty year old man. Pictures of her as a child in the arms of her father. Sylvie wiped away a tear in her eye. She had never thought that her father had held her like that... that he could actually show her that he cared... He'd always been racked by grief after mother had died, and her sister had always told her stories of how her dad had been so much happier when she was around. Was I... really hating myself for causing him so much sadness? she thought to herself. Did he really love me, but I couldn't accept it because I hated myself so much? Could... could I be doing the same thing to Max?  
  
"Excuse me, Sylvie are you there?" a familiar voice declared over the intercom. It was John, AGAIN.  
  
"Yeah John, what?" she replied without much enthusiasm.  
  
"We're being ordered out on a recon patrol. You up to it?" the voice asked, partly worried.  
  
She sighed. She wanted to lay back and read the letters some more. But they would still be here when she got back, wouldn't they? "Alright, give me five minutes."  
-  
"Well sir, what do you think?" Colonel Patterson asked his superior.  
  
"Zeon may be up to something, but maybe they're recalling their forces. Operation Star One is in full swing now you know," General Dolvich reminded. Or maybe the Gundam had scared the hell out of them, he didn't add. Its little battle at Side 6 had become well-known among the crew thanks to a video that the Gorbachev had brought back with it, and he was sure Zeon knew about it too.  
  
The Colonel nodded. He just hoped that the recon team wouldn't run into trouble.  
------------------------------------- "Umm... Max... I have to..." Sylvie started as she met Max in the hangar.  
  
"No need to apologize," he replied quickly and coolly, "Just do your job," he then turned and boarded his GM Sniper.  
  
"Yeah... right..." she muttered. Idiot! she didn't add. Here I am about to apologize and you brush me off. You really don't care do you?  
  
"Come on Sylvie, let's get this job done," John encouraged as he began switching on the EWAC GM's systems. It was amazing, he reflected as the systems blinked green, that the sensitive radar array was still functional after everything it has been through...  
  
"This is Rifle, launching!"  
-  
"Whoa Juan... easy..." Fred warned as Juan's GM Space Commando made a series of radical turns.  
  
"Sorry, but wow... this thing is really something else," he replied. Lighter and possesing more maneuvering verniers than an ordinary GM, the Commando was one sweet machine to fly, once the pilot finally got the hang of it that is.  
  
"Alright, enough. Let's move out," the Major ordered. Behind him, Max and Sylvie were already trailing them, covering them and collecting data respectively.  
  
Juan nodded as he darted across the no-man's land between the fleets, careful to keep himself under cover at all times. He was worried they would get spotted, but so far the enemy line was quiet. In fact too quiet. There was something fishy...  
  
"Ummm... sir, I think we'd better stop now," John reported.  
  
"What is it Recto?" he replied sternly, "What have you found?"  
  
"A Musai sir, but I don't think she's really a Musai..." he reported rather sheepishly.  
  
"What the hell do you..." the Major started before John forwarded him an image. It was the familiar shape of a Zeon Musai class cruiser alright, hidden carefully between some pieces of wreckage. But there was something wrong... "It's a Musai, but where the hell are its guns?"  
  
"It's a decoy sir," John explained, "If you'll look carefully there's an awful lot of holes on the hull, and its "reactors" are cold. Besides sir, look carefully at what's just beside it."  
  
Karl focused his attention at the area just beside the Musai. He blinked hard as the image was poor, but soon he realized what it was, "It's a mine. , looks like they HAVE left, and mined the place before they did." ! he thought, how the hell could they have let them slip pass us that easy?!  
  
"In any case sir, let's call the engineers. Looks like we've been had..."  
---------------------------------------- The enemy fleet hadn't caught up, Jefferson thought. The months spent with the raider fleets had given him plenty of experience with mines and decoys, and it looked as if he'd employed them profitably again. But now he was going to have to leave the Bremen now, along with its crew...  
  
"Good luck Ming, take care of the Bremen for me," Jefferson told his best pilot as the time for their parting came. Most of the Mobile Suits were going back with him to Granada, but not the Mobile Suits aboard the Bremen. They would be staying with their parent ship in its journey with the Bismark. He sighed, he would really miss his old ship...  
  
"Don't worry sir, I'll make sure she comes back to you in one piece," Ming replied with a smile, "Just as long as that Wavell keeps his promise of getting me a new Mobile Suit."  
  
"I'm sure he will. I read that the base has an awful lot of neat stuff," he explained, "Improved Zakus and Rick Doms, even a Gelgoog or two. They can probably spare you one good unit."  
  
"Yeah, maybe they could even fix up my R-type," Ming replied rather somberly.  
  
"Look Ming, forget it already. You just got unlucky back there, it's not your fault..."  
  
"Yes sir, but it would be nice if I could've sold it to a museum after the war or something," he replied with a grin. R-types were really that rare, after all, though he doubted Zeon would let him keep it... "But whatever unit I get, I'll try not to disappoint you."  
  
"That's the spirit Ming! That's the spirit!" the Colonel finished with a wide grin.  
------------------------------------------- "Give us a day. Day and a half tops. These mines are dangerous you know," the chief engineer reported to Colonel Patterson as he finished surveying the newly laid minefield.  
  
"Great, and that Zeon fleet is going to get away..." the Colonel growled, "What do we do now sir?"  
  
General Dolvich paused to think before answering. He doubted the enemy fleet was going straight to Solomon, especially after all the battle damage it had suffered. Most likely they would go to Granada first, THEN make their way to Solomon. The problem was, it would bring them out of his jurisdiction... He sighed, there was only one course of action, and one the fleet wouldn't like, "We let them go. I think the main fleet can handle them."  
  
"But sir!" Colonel Patterson protested.  
  
"By the time we clear those mines, they'll be half way to Granada by then. In fact they're probably already halfway there already. Once the mines are cleared, we'll begin patrols around Side 2. They may get out of here in one piece, but we sure as hell aren't going to let them come back."  
-  
Dec. 22 UC 0079 Somewhere over Earth orbit  
  
From here, it looked just like a tiny pebble, but Major Alfonso knew very well it was much more than that. It was the space asteroid fortress of Solomon, and the Borodino was heading for it at maximum speed. Behind him was the rest of the Federation fleet.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	32. Chapter 32: Discovery

Chapter 32: Discovery  
  
Dec. 24 UC 0079 -Zeon Space Asteroid Fortress Solomon, EFSFS Borodino  
  
"Solar System attack sucessful, lead units reporting enemy in retreat." the Borodino's radio officer reported.  
  
Major Alfonso nodded for his commanding officer. Outside, parts of the Zeon space fortress were still glowing from the residual heat left by the laser attack. This was the result of the Federation's secret weapon, the Solar System. An array of four million mirrors used to reflect sunlight into a single point, it ensured utter destruction to anything caught in its path.  
  
"Ummm... sir..." a lookout nervously reported, "We have a large unknown object rapidly approaching us, bearing 231..."  
  
"Identify," the CO ordered in an equally nervous tone. Alfonso frowned, he had some reservations about his rather... "over cautious" commanding officer...  
  
"I... Dear God!" the lookout shrieked, "That thing just took out two GMs! A Salamis is burning and..."  
  
"Fire! fire!" the commander ordered in a panicked voice. And as ordered, the Salamis' three forward turrets began to open fire.  
  
"Sir! The beams..." the gunnery officer reported in a shocked tone, "They're just bouncing off!!!"  
  
Alfonso picked up the binoculars and turned to the direction of the sighting. It was, indeed, a model he had never seen before, and this one looked particularly menacing. As if it was the harbringer of death itself. Federation beam cannons scored hits on it, but as the gunnery officer had reported they were just being bounced off by some invisible barrier. Suddenly, the beam cannons installed around its central axis fired as one, and several Federation units intercepting it were caught in the fire. A series of fireballs decorated the space around it, and suddenly its mono-eyes flashed red as it found a tempting target...  
  
"! That er just took down another two GMs and three Balls!" the lookout reported, his voice close to panic.  
  
"We have to get out of here!!!" the CO ordered as he began to slink away slowly, heading for the door. That, Alfonso thought, was enough!  
  
"Sir!" Alfonso countered angrily, "We can't abandon our post!"  
  
"Then you stay!" the CO replied disgracefully, before running out of the door, leaving his crew to fend for themselves. Wonderful! Alfonso thought. That freaking coward!  
  
"What do we do now sir!?" the gunnery officer asked in a panicked tone.  
  
"Alright..." the Major replied, keeping his cool. Damn, I wish JP was here, at least he might have some ideas... "Try missiles! Maybe..."  
  
"! He just took down a Magellan!" the lookout interrupted.  
  
"Oh my God..." the communication's officer started before turning to the Major, his face as pale as snow, "He got the the Titan sir... Admiral Tianmu's flagship!"  
-  
Damn it... General Dolvich thought, I should be there. There at Solomon fighting the Zeeks instead of spending time patrolling this junk yard. He knew his job was important, and he knew that keeping Side 2 free of enemy shipping, particularly after a small Zeon fleet had been captured some time earlier by the Side 6 fleet carrying "contraband," had become a paramount task. And he also knew, with quite a measure of comfort, that his men were at least spared great dangers. But he still would have preferred enganging in a fleet battle instead of the mundane task of patrolling areas that had been largely deserted by the enemy...  
  
"Sir, we're recieving a transmission from the main fleet..." the Amerigo's chief communications officer reported.  
  
"What is it?" the General inquired. I really hope that the attack went well...  
  
The chief's face broke into a wide grin, "They did it! Solomon ain't Zeon no more!"  
-  
"What... what happened to Admiral Dozul?" Colonel Jefferson asked the messenger, still shocked.  
  
"He's dead sir," the messenger replied somberly, "He... he stayed behind to cover the retreating forces. A survivor said that he was taken down by the White Devil..."  
  
"Damn it!" Jefferson growled. Damn it, he thought, he shouldn't have left himself get transffered to Kishira's command, thanks to that he hadn't been allowed to take what was left of his fleet to at least give some assistance...  
  
"Don't blame yourself sir. The Federation used a new weapon against our fleet. They never really had a chance. The only reason so many got away was because of the Admiral's actions..." the messenger offered, close to tears. Like Jefferson, he was also formerly part of Dozul's Space Attack Force. He briefly wondered what the White Wolf, Shin Matsunaga, must be feeling right now. He was Dozul's most loyal bodyguard...  
  
"Don't worry," a new voice added, "You'll be able to avenge him soon..." It was the "newly promoted" Colonel Killing, current commander of Granada Base.  
  
"Excuse me sir?" Jefferson replied almost with a scowl. Killing had proven to be too fanatical to Commander Giren for his taste, and bad rumors had been circulated about the former base commander's death due to a "cerebral hemorrhage." One probably induced by a 9mm bullet that is.  
  
"You're returning to Side 2, and you'll have a chance to have a fair crack at the Federation," he replied with an evil smile.  
  
"But sir, they're probably going to march on A Bou Qu soon and..." Jefferson objected.  
  
"Just do as you are ordered," he replied coldly. That fool Helshing may have failed and even let his damn ship and cargo get captured, but as long as that Wavell "cooperated," he'd teach Side 6 an abject lesson on the power of a fusion reaction.  
-  
Dec. 24 UC 0079 -Side 2, Hormuz Base  
  
"Solomon has fallen, are you sure we must continue this plan General?" the former base commander, Colonel Alfred Gullivan, asked his superior, General Wavell.  
  
"Yes," the General replied simply, "Do you wish to disobey High Commander Giren?"  
  
"But sir," Gullivan protested, "The Feddies are increasing their patrols, they may locate us soon and..."  
  
"We have advanced Mobile Suits, do we not?" he inquired with a slight frown. Do you want to question me again, COLONEL?  
  
"Yes sir," he replied meekly. They did have a good collection of advanced Mobile Suits to defend the base including newly issued Zaku Kais, Rick Dom IIs and even three Gelgoogs. The problem was the pilots. His base, not being in the front lines, had only been assigned with very inexperienced pilots as veteran pilots were badly needed elsewhere. Wavell did bring three experienced pilots with him, but one was only an EWAC pilot, and a second was having a hard time pilotting the Gelgoog and was assigned a Rick Dom II instead. At least the fleet's top ace, Ming Chow, had no problems in his new Gelgoog Jaeger...  
  
"Glad that you agreed," Wavell replied after observing the fear in the Colonel's face. Good, lest you start examining your "orders" more carefully. Particularly "Giren's" signature. Besides, Solomon was under that moron Dozul's command, Commander Giren would NEVER do anything stupid to let A Bou Qu fall. Not with their little secret.  
-  
"Cecilia, are the reports concerning the status of my Solar Ray system completed yet?" Giren inquired as she stepped into his office.  
  
"Yes sir, but I have pressing matters about the Side 2 fleet..." Cecilia started. I don't know what you're up to Wavell, she thought, but I'm not going to let you make a fool out of all of us...  
  
"As far as we're concerned, Side 2 is now a write off," Giren replied sternly, "We can't worry about the stable while the house is on fire."  
  
Cecilia stopped for a moment, slightly piqued at his rebuke. Damn, doesn't he even trust my judgement yet? Didn't he even trust ME yet? "Very well sir, here are the reports," she finished. Regardless, she was still a proffessional staff officer, and this was her job.  
-  
"Mike... I need to talk to you about these... boys," Ming told his wingman as they met each other in the wardroom. The training exercise they had just finished had severely degraded his opinion of the base's defense force. He and Mike had done well on their new machines, but not the eight other pilots and the three supporting ships. I could probably wipe them all out by myself he didn't add.  
  
"Ming later. I have bad news..." Mike replied grimly.  
  
"What happened?" Ming asked worriedly, he had never senn Mike look this serious...  
  
"Solomon has fallen. Admiral Dozul is dead," Mike reported simply. But his face spoke volumes.  
  
"How bad did we lose?" Ming inquired. Dozul was one hell of a field commander he thought, it didn't seem like he could be defeated that easy or...  
  
"Very bad," Mike continued, "A Bou Qu is next. I'm... I'm not sure we can win anymore..."  
  
"What are you talking about?!" Ming replied angrily, "Damn it you've always said that we have to fight for our homeland haven't you?"  
  
"Yeah Ming... but if they could get Dozul, how do you think those pencil pushers under Giren will do?" he countered.  
  
"They'll think of something. Don't worry, at least WE'LL make sure they don't foul up eh?" he encouraged.  
  
"Sure," Mike replied somberly, "But the fight is at A Bou Qu. We're still stuck here at Side 2..."  
-  
"That's a shame..." Colonel Patterson said as he recieved the news. He might really miss that crusty old Tianmu, especially since thanks to him they now had a steady flow of reinforcements coming from Luna 2 consisting of GM and Ball teams. In fact, the Gorbachev was just returning from a supply run carrying a replacement squadron of Publics...  
  
"You wish you were there instead of here Patterson?" the General inquired.  
  
"No sir, I'm happy where I am right now," Patterson replied. He might not be part of the headlines, but he was still doing his part to win the war nonetheless. And at least here his chances of seeing Cynthia again were considerably improving...  
  
"I guess I should be too," the General agreed, though with a forced smile. It was the fighting man in him, he knew. And maybe his admiration for the Zeon Admiral Dozul as well. They were somewhat the same, both fighting men in a war full of "politicians". -  
"But sir... we just barely managed to intercept a Zeon ship carrying nukes, are you sure..." the commander of the Federation's Revo base objectted. What the hell was this new guy up to, he wondered.  
  
"You will do as your told," the man on the other side of the videocom answered in a icy tone. It was General Nicolo.  
  
"And if..." the commander started.  
  
"Or do you want me to stress the fact of the loss of the Gundam?" he interrupted angrily. Don't cross me, I've just barely managed to clamber out of that battlefield hell-hole alive, he thought, and I'm going to make sure my plans go forward now that Tianmu is gone...  
  
"Yes sir..." the commander grumbled in reply, and the videocom went dead. He took a look at his staff. It was clear what they thought about the cancellation of all patrols around Side 6. And all were thinking the same thing: Three star or not, to hell with him!  
  
"What do we do sir?" his aide asked eagerly.  
  
"We can't disobey orders," the commander replied firmly, "But contact all nearby commands and inform them of the situation. And be sure to remind them of what we captured a few days ago..."  
-  
The patrol was boring, as usual, Sylvie thought. And having Max watching over her was even worse. For some reason, she just needed to get away from him now, though she wasn't sure herself why... Maybe to think, maybe to figure out...  
  
"Whoa... Sylvie slow down. I've got something!" John reported in a muted tone.  
  
"What is it John?" she asked as she signalled Max to slow down as well. This had better not be another false alarm...  
  
"Here," John told her as he forwarded her the image. It was a Zaku, or at least what looked like one. It seemed to have a number of additional features...  
  
"Want me to take him down?" Max inquired, aiming his beam rifle.  
  
"No," John replied as he shook his head, "Let's follow it for a while, maybe it has a mother ship nearby..."  
  
"Alright," Max agreed, "But inform the fleet, and if he tries anything he's going down."  
  
"Already done," Sylvie replied quickly, "Here we go..."  
-  
The Zaku Kai pilot muttered a curse. These patrols were so damn boring, he thought. At least now, it was time to return to base. He began to plot a course for home.  
-  
"Easy Sylve... easy," John warned. Sylvie was keeping up with the relatively fast moving Zaku, but she was occasionally being forced to drop out of cover and be seen out in the open...  
  
"Don't worry," Sylvie replied, "The pilot seems green to me..."  
  
"He does seem like it," John replied, "But I won't underestimate him."  
  
"I'm NOT, it was an honest observation," she shotback.  
  
"Slow down..." John suddenly ordered.  
  
"Why? If we don't he might get away!" Sylvie objectted.  
  
"I'm picking up one REAL big contact up ahead... we might... OH !" John suddenly shouted out loud, "Duck for cover!"  
  
Sylvie instictively dived for the nearest piece of wreckage and nestled the EWAC behind it. Max, trailing some distance back, had also found himself a spot. "What is it?" Sylvie inquired.  
  
"You two take a look," John replied as he forwarded the image to both Max and Sylvie. It looked just like Malta Base, but this time there were Zeon ships guarding it...  
  
"It's a base. Much like Malta," Max observed, "How did we..."  
  
"Miss it?" John finished for him, "Same reason as Malta, all this damn junk. Let's inform command. I'll bet they'll be VERY interested..."  
-  
Back in Malta Base, General Dolvich recieved the word. He smiled lightly, looks like they weren't just going to spend the rest of the war patrolling after all.  
-  
The dock workers of Hormuz Base were particulalry apprehensive today. They usually loaded dangerous cargoes of all sorts, explosives, fuel, even leaky fusion reactors, but this cargo was especially memorable. To some of the older workers, this was a cargo that they had not had the opportunity to see since the Antartic Treaty. For the rest of them, it was their first opportunity to view an awesome weapon of destruction. One that had once brought man to the brink of destruction. Nuclear weapons.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	33. Chapter 33: A Day Before the Storm

Chapter 33: A Day Before the Storm  
  
Christmas day... Cynthia thought. Another lonely Christmas for me, she thought with a sigh as she lay down on the grass and looked up to the clouds. Above her, a group of Dep Rogs were flying to the north, heading for the Zeon's main Philippines base at Subic Bay. If there was anything left there, that is. It had been under constant air attack as far back as October, hence the tranfer of the submarine squadron to the less conspicous base here in Palawan. She sighed, she wondered what John and Dad were doing. It was getting really annoying to be stuck here on the ground.  
-  
Dec. 25 UC 0079- Side 2, EFSF Battleship Amerigo  
  
"Alright, what do we know so far?" General Dolvich inquired as his staff gathered around him. High command had given them the go order to destroy or capture the base, and he wanted a workable assault plan drawn up as quickly as possible. If it was feasible.  
  
"It's a small base sir," Lt. Recto, who had spent the last eight hours scouting the base out, explained, "Far smaller than Malta, and has a lot less fixed defenses. They seem to be relying more on Mobile Suits and ships to defend the base sir."  
  
"Yes, and they're new models sir," Yang added, "Improved Zakus and the large black ones. Very bad news."  
  
"As well as a Tibe, three Musais, and that bad- mini-Gwajin. And sir, don't forget we've also spotted at least two of the new beam-capable prototypes sir," Recto added, "And they look quite a bit different from the ones we've encountered."  
  
"Explain," the General ordered sternly. He wanted to know as much as he could.  
  
"The Zaks and the black mono-eyes seem to have better thrusters and weapons. And for once they're sensibly sharing some weaponry like the new machine gun they carry," John explained as he produced several photographs, "But the problem are the beam-carriers. One seems to carry a cannon on its backpack like our GM Cannon, probably for heavy duty anti-MS use. The second... well, fair guess is it's piloted by the High Mobility Zaku pilot that's giving us so much trouble..."  
  
"How are you sure?" Miles demanded. That pilot was good, he knew. And if he got one of the beam capable ones...  
  
"The unit's painted in the same color scheme sir," John explained, "And it's probably the same custom model as the Grey Phantom encountered a few days ago. VERY bad news..." he concluded as he produced a report from the Libot's base commander.  
  
"Ouch," Colonel Patterson muttered quietly as he read the report. Even the new GM Commandos were no match against it...  
  
"Thank you Lieutenant," General Dolvich finished with a nod, "Now, what about our own force Major Grunther?"  
  
"We have seven Salamis, two Magellans, twenty Mobile Suits, sixteen Balls and twelve Publics," Karl reported quickly, "We just barely outnumber them sir."  
  
"So, do you think we can do it?" the General asked to everybody in the room. He personally believed it was feasible, but he wanted other's opinions first.  
  
"We might want to wait sir. They're hurting worse than we are sir, and it's probable that we can get more reinforcements than they can," the Actium's CO answered. The Saratoga and the Brandywine's COs both nodded in agreement.  
  
"But what if they launch an attack against Side 6 again?" Miles countered. Unlike most of his comrades, he was from Side 6. And the Libot's base commander had kindly forwarded reports on the "contraband" they had captured.  
  
"The Granada fleet is also still out there," Yang reminded, "Intel says they're still in port, and they can be here in three days."  
  
"And sirs, excuse me..." John started.  
  
"Yes Lieutenant?" General Dolvich asked sternly. Got any new tricks up your sleeve?  
  
"I forgot to add this, but sir, most of their pilots seem... green," John added, "They look REAL sloppy except for the ace."  
  
"There are reports on Zeon manpower shortages and they're sending high school boys to fight..." the Actium's CO conceded. He still didn't like this, but what if that fleet did come? "Alright, I agree, let's give the attack a try."  
  
"Any further objections?" the General inquired. There were none, "Alright, let's draw up an assault plan. We attack tomorrow."  
-  
"What a cargo for Christmas, eh XO?" Colonel Jefferson noted grimly as he watched the dock crews load their main "cargo." Tactical nuclear weapons destined for Side 6.  
  
"You still have problems with the mission sir?" the XO replied coldly. He was a new one, assigned by Killing himself.  
  
"No," he replied, the lie rolling off his lips. I'm going to make sure they're never used... he promised himself. This was not a war to kill women and children like that idiot Giren had made it into. This was about freeing their oppressed neighbors from the grasp of those politicians on Earth. He hadn't approved nor participated in the bloody mess that was the One Week War and the Ruum, having only recieved his command just after the Antartic Treaty. That was fortunate, he knew some friends who blew their brains out after realizing what they had done. He wouldn't make that same mistake.  
  
The XO simply nodded. Don't cross Killing's orders, Jefferson, he thought, or your brains may soon be splattered all over the floor.  
-  
"Mmmm..." John remarked as he entered the wardroom, "Wow, looks like we've got some good chow," he observed as he saw the food being served. It was Christmas, after all, and despite all the technological advancements in the past hundred years they still hadn't managed to get rid of that tradition. That was just perfect for him, as two straight hours helping with the attack plan had left him starving...  
  
"Yeah, here's yours," Juan said as he handed John a plate, "Not exactly a feast, but at least it's not the damn synthetic MRE stuff that they usually serve us."  
  
"All we need now is a tree and decorations..." John added with a smile. Christmas was an especially important holiday in his homeland, after all it had been a predominantly Christian country... "Well," Major Karl suddenly interjectted as he joined his men, "I'm not exactly Santa Claus, but I do have a gift for the two of you, Recto and Ignacio..."  
  
"Us sir?" the two responded together. Karl Grunther didn't seem to be the type...  
  
"You've just made Seargent, Ignacio," he expained, "They're thinking of a new policy to allow only officers to pilot, so you're being promoted to make sure we don't lose you. And Recto, you also just made 1st Lieutenant at the recommendation of General Dolvich. Congratulations men," he finished with a grin.  
  
"Well... I'm not so sure about that sir..." John objectted. Wasn't I just a damn Seargent a month ago? Sheesh, and Sylvie's been only promoted once since the start of the war...  
  
"You deserve it John," Sylvie approved as she joined the party, "Your gut feelings have saved us a couple of times," she admitted.  
  
John frowned at that remark. Yeah, he thought, but I just helped the brass plan a BIG attack tomorrow. One that could prove to be fatal to some of them. After the way she had reacted after his "suggestion" had put Max in danger...  
  
"Oh, and Lieutenant Gressier, you're also up for a decoration," the Major told her with a smile.  
  
Sylvie looked stunned, "Sir, what..."  
  
"For taking down that prototype. They're still thinking of the right commendation for you," Karl explained.  
  
It was Sylvie's turn to frown. She was getting commended for killing somebody. She didn't believe in that. She believed in commending those who saved lives, not those who took them.  
  
"Somehow, I believe that this unit simply hates recognition," Karl observed almost with a laugh, "Maybe my disease is contagious after all... Anyway, enough long faces! Let's just have a nice informal party for today..." Because there certainly won't be time for it tomorrow, he didn't add.  
-  
"I swear, if I ever find out who trained this guys..." Ming muttered angrily as he pulled his Gelgoog Jaeger into the dock after yet ANOTHER disastrous exercise. This time he had finally lost his temper and single handedly wiped out three fourths of the whole MS force before the commander stopped him. Damn it! Can't those kids even maneuver a little to save their own lives?!  
  
"Maybe we have to send these guys into a serious fight to get them going," Mike suggested, "Come on, don't let it ruin your day. It's Christmas, after all..."  
  
"Yeah, but this is not World War One," Ming countered, "We don't stop the fighting for a friendly game of football with the other side anymore."  
  
"Yeah, but at least the ones back..." Mike started before stopping, "Oh, sorry Ming."  
  
"Don't worry. I understand, you still have a family back home," he replied with a touch of envy.  
  
"Yeah, and boy do I want to be with them," he replied, "But you know, I wonder. Why did we stop having a friendly game of football with the other side anyway?" he contemplated, "What's the reason we can't now?"  
  
"They're our enemy, that's reason enough," Ming replied simply.  
  
"But back then, they were enemies too, weren't they?" Mike pondered. It was something he had never considered before. Something that had been buried under all the rhetoric and supposed patriotism, but still haunting his conscience. What is so different between "them" and "us" anyway?  
-  
As the Major had ordered, everybody was in their "informal" mood today. No pulling rank, no stupid military heirarchy, though higher ups were still addressed as "sir" as a point of respect. And it had seemed like ages since the crew had any rest like this.  
  
"You know, I'm beginning to wish that the brass, just once, would let us have some alchoholic beverages onboard," Juan commented as he swallowed that last of his meal and wished for more, "Some nice beer would help wash down the food..."  
  
"The brass has good reasons to keep us from drinking," Karl explained, "But some vodka would be nice..."  
  
"Vodka sir?!" Fred asked, surprised, "Aren't you German sir?"  
  
"Yeah, but my first command was all Russian, and I've grown to like the taste," Karl explained further.  
  
"Hey, John," Juan asked, "What about you?"  
  
"Mango juice is my favorite," John answered, "I don't drink alchoholic stuff. Makes me see three or four more contacts on the radar screen..."  
  
"Mango juice?" Sylvie asked, "Never tried it before. In fact I've never seen a mango. My colony doesn't seem to grow any."  
  
"I'll try to send you some when I get back home," he offered, "Or you could come and visit. Christmas is a great time to visit my home."  
  
"Oh so I can finally meet your..." Sylvie started before she noticed the panicked looks on Fred and John's faces. Oh ! Was that supposed to be a secret? she thought. Think of something Sylvie..."Family."  
  
"I don't really have one anymore," John told her sadly, but honestly, "My dad died when I was really young, and my mom died just two years ago."  
  
"John... I'm..." Sylvie started.  
  
"Don't worry, I've gotten over it a long time ago," he replied somberly, "What about YOUR family Sylvie?" he asked with a grin, turning the tables around.  
  
"You already know about them remember? YOU handed me their letters..." she replied with a contemptous look on her face.  
  
"Yeah, but I know nothing about them..." John countered, "And they haven't replied to your second letter so..."  
  
"John... that's PRIVATE!" Sylvie warned angrily. Besides, her return letter would take some time to send, after all, so the reply would take longer. There was suddenly an outburst of chuckles around the table, "What's so funny?!" she demanded.  
  
"I guess the old Sylvie is back," Fred explained with a grin, "You know you haven't been acting like yourself for the past two weeks."  
  
"Have I?" Sylvie asked in a rather meek tone. Her reply was a series of nods.  
  
"The cold, heartless type doesn't suit you," a new voice quietly added. THAT made everybody's head turn. It was Max, who was just finishing his plate alone in the adjacent table. Forever the loner, he never really joined in these gatherings, even at an occassion like this.  
  
"But that description just suits you, doesn't it?" Sylvie replied rather coldly.  
  
"Yes," Max replied quietly, before leaving. The whole room suddenly seemed quiet for a moment.  
  
Oh damn it... Sylvie thought to herself. Why the hell did I just say that? Even if he's the coldest, most insensitive, and utterly ruthless and cruel guy I've come to know I shouldn't have ruined everybody elses'...  
  
"Hi guys!" the chief mechanic suddenly declared as he entered the room, carrying a large box of records with him, "Found me some old songs I had. I was thinking to play it for the wardroom for you guys since it's Christmas, after all..."  
  
"Yeah, thanks chief!" John suddenly answered for all of them with a smile. Juan sighed, then nodded, and the rest of the men in the wardroom agreed. Unhappiness was a common part of life in a war, so why waste a perfectly good opportunity to relieve it?  
  
Sylvie breathe a sigh of relief before looking at John. He was now happily helping the chief assembel the old record player. She smiled, it was one of his traits. He tried to help when he can, especially to help people get over their gloom, although it did have its limits when his life was in danger. Maybe because he wanted to see his girl again, she thought. Lucky her.  
  
John grinned as he placed the first record into the player, and soon Irving's White Christmas was being sung by everybody in the room.  
-  
"And may your Chritmases be.... white..." the whole group finished singing as the record ended. The singing was horribly out of tune, but to Hormuz Base's MS force, it was a touch of home. But even so they still couldn't help but laugh at themselves for their dismal vocal abilities.  
  
"Hey Ming, don't you know any songs?" Mike asked as he joined his wingman, still chuckling.  
  
"Sorry, I don't know much about Christmas songs. My family is a traditional Chinese one you see..." he explained, but he was also smiling. Incompetent or not, the base's MS pilots were still a cheery bunch whose silliness occassionally made him laugh. They were really just kids, the same type who believed the old phrase "the troops will be home for Christmas." But they were certainly missing this one.  
  
"Oh well..." Mike replied. "But singing does help get rid of the loneliness sometimes."  
  
The record player then began playing a new tune. It was an old German war song that had been partly adopted by the Zeon military early in the war. Lili Marlene.  
  
"Oh , I hate that song..." Mike muttered. In reality, he didn't hate it before. He just hated it now because Mei Li wasn't going to be waiting for him anymore. Ever...  
  
"Don't tell me you're a frustrated lover Mike," Ming joked.  
  
Mike forced a grin. He really didn't want Ming to know about his interest in Mei Li. Not at a time like this. And, he admitted to himself, not even a time before this, lest his protective love for his sister cost them their friendship.  
  
"Oh well, at least I know this one," Ming declared with a grin. He stood up to join the rest of the pilots in singing the tune.  
-  
Sylvie felt tired, but happy. Or at least something like that. At least everybody had a good time today. Something to be pleased about before the attack scheduled tomorrow. She shook her head. She needed to be in top shape tomorrow, lest she cost somebody their life again. This is why they told us to get to bed early, Sylvie... she reminded herself.  
  
"Tired?" a voice asked behind her. It was John.  
  
"Yeah, thanks for diffusing the depression I caused earlier," she replied without turning around. Boy, she thought, why the hell did I say that?  
  
"I'd say you'd better talk to somebody," John advised.  
  
"We have nothing to talk about," she replied sternly.  
  
"Right, that's why you've been acting weird as hell for the past two weeks," he replied coldly, "You are being cold and heartless, you know that?"  
  
"So what if I am?!" she growled back as she turned to him, almost face to face. She suddenly felt a little embarassed as she saw his eyes, they seemed to be so sad... was he sad because of me?  
  
He quickly drew his face away from hers before speaking, "So you WANT to be like that? To have something always eating up inside you?"  
  
Sylvie's facial expression grew angry. Who are you to decide what I want anyway?  
  
"Because Max is like that you know. Everything that he's done keeps eating up inside of him," John explained further, "And the worse part is, he's alone. He doesn't have anyone who bring warmth back into his heart."  
  
"What if he is... what then? He doesn't care about me anyway..." Sylvie asked, still defiant, but her voice was cracking.  
  
"That's something I can't help either of you with, if you believe that's true..." John told her honestly, "I can help people get over their grief and sadness, it's something me and... her used to do. But in this case, I can't be of any comfort. Only you can," he then turned tand walked away, leaving Sylvie with the thought.  
-------------------------------------------- "Merry Christmas, Jessica," Karl whispered to her picture as he lay alone in his bed. Have you found somebody else yet? he thought, I hope so, nad I hope he'll make you happy. Not like I did. Karl's vision suddenly blurred slightly. It had almost been a year, but there were still tears.  
-  
Got this from Dafydd Dyar's timeline. Thanks to him for this little piece of official info:D. Even at the height of World War I(and even through most of World War II), both sides still declared truces on Christmas day. As Zeon was heavily influenced by Nazi Germany, it's likely that they may also have adopted old German war songs for their own use. Lili Marlene has a rather checkered history though. It was initially played by German radios until a survey showed it was depressing to the men, and henceforth was banned from German radios. After which it became immensely popular among the Allies in its English translated form. -  
Notice:  
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	34. Chapter 34: An Old Soldier's Only Wish

34 chapters and counting. I think the fic'll be wrapped up around chapter 40 or so. Till then keep on reading!:D  
  
Chapter 34: An Old Soldier's Only Wish  
  
Dec 26, UC 0079 Side 2, Just outside Hormuz Base  
  
They were all here, John thought. Every single ship and Mobile Unit that General Dolvich could get from Malta Base, including the newly arrived medical transport Nightingale. Another gift from the Side 6 base commander.  
  
"The Anzio, Quatre Bras and Johnston are now breaking off," Sylvie reported as she saw the three ships and their escorts start their flanking maneuver. Their job was to block the enemy's escape route and make sure nobody got away.  
  
"Confirmed, Sylvie," John replied, "Looks like we'll be all set soon..."  
-  
"Have they finished loading yet, Colonel?" General Wavell inquired to the base commander.  
  
"Yes," Colonel Gullivan replied meekly. At least the General was finally leaving now, he thought, and he could get back at his real job. His base was actually just a testing facility and a depot, and his main assignment had been preparing twenty or so C-type Gelgoog Cannon conversion kits that he was supposed to have sent to A Bou Qu two days ago. And he didn't want the two Papuas outside to have to wait any longer to recieve their important cargo.  
  
"Very well then, I'll be off soon," the General declared with a grin, "You have helped Zeon immensely with your efforts! Sieg Zeon!" And thank you for helping ME also.  
-  
"And here comes the morning patrol..." John whispered quietly as three improved Zaku-types clambered their way out of the dock and began patrolling the immediate vicinity of the base. Just like their manual must have said, he thought.  
  
"Rifle, do you have them on sight now?" Major Karl asked.  
  
"Yes sir," Max replied in his usual, quiet and reserved tone.  
  
"Artillery sections, what about you?" Karl asked the commander of the Ball section.  
  
"Just give us the word, and we'll be blowing those guys silly with our 180's" the commander replied rather cockily. He was a little inexperienced for Karl's taste, but at least the guy knew how to shoot.  
  
"Twenty more minutes before the attack, Major," Colonel Patterson reminded. He knew Karl wouldn't do anything stupid, but not his subordinates, and this was a warning to them all.  
  
"Yes sir, understood," Karl replied, "Hear that men? Don't get too cocky. Stick to the plan."  
  
"Yes sir!" the Ball commander replied, still rather cockily, "Just being enthusiastic sir."  
  
"As if there was any difference..." Karl mutteren with a frown.  
-  
"Come on Mike! We're leaving!" Ming warned his wingman as he prepared to board his brand new Gelgoog Jaeger. Now fully armed and equipped, it would escort the Bismark in its little mission for most of the trip. With the help of Mike in his Rick Dom II of course.  
  
"Sorry," Mike replied as he hurried over to Ming, "Just collecting a debt from that kid Ukiya. He's been losing to me playing poker for the past two days..."  
  
"The Rick Dom II squad leader?" Ming asked rather contemptously. Most of the base's pilots were bad, but he was particularly terrible. He had no idea how the kid ever made squad leader.  
  
"Take it easy on him," Mike adivsed with a smile, "He joined the military just after he got enganged you know, and he doesn't plan to die in this war. Good luck to him."  
  
"Yeah well..." Ming replied, contempt still in his voice. Enganged or not, he was now a soldier. And one who was supposed to lead, "Anyway, Jimmy's Flipper is already out. We'd better catch up with him."  
-  
"What's taking those two..." the Zaku Flipper's pilot muttered nervously. Months of EWAC pilotting seemed to have heightened his awareness of danger, and right now his guts were telling him they had best leave this place as soon as they can. He scanned the wreckage around the base. It still seemed as empty as ever... Full of dull grey metallic debris from the colonies, occassionally dotted by some black pieces of charred wreckage, and one funny looking green colored one which... HOLY !  
  
The pilot quickly turned his attention to the green object he had just barely noticed, and saw IT. The sniper that had been murdering them like hell for the past several weeks. And if he was here... "This is the Flipper! I've spotted an enemy unit in the vicinity of the base! All units scramble!"  
-  
"Damn, did he just spot me?" Max muttered quietly to himself as he saw the EWAC type start focusing its attention towards his location. Suddenly, he noticed one of the Musais start turning towards HIM as well, and that was certainly a bad sign, "Rifle here, I think I've been spotted."  
  
"Magic, what do you think?" Major Karl asked nervously. Oh boy, not another bloody...  
  
"They are launching additional Mobile Suits!" John reported excitedly. "Ships are taking aim at Max!"  
  
"Max, get out of there..." Sylvie muttered quietly, sweat trickling down her forehead.  
  
"This is General Dolvich!" the commanding officer declared, "Alright, the gig is up! Let'm have it!"  
-  
The EWAC pilot was just about to order the Musai to fire when a single shell impacted his Flipper's head, shattering it along with its vital sensors. He frantically tried to activate his backup camera to try to maneuver, but before he could a volley of 180mm shells blasted him to pieces.  
  
Ming had just launched when he saw their Flipper get blown to pieces, and he growled in anger. Those damn pods! he thought, I'll get me some of them. Around him, the base defense force was frantically trying to form up and fight a coherent battle, but they were being continously pelted by the artillery fired by those pods. He aimed his precision beam machine gun at a trio of pods in the distance and fired off a burst. Two explosions greeted him before a shell fired by the survivor barely missed his Jaeger. A second burst finished that survivor off.  
  
"Ming, this is bad..." Mike warned as he started firing his 90mm machine gun wildly at the Federation positions, mainly to distract them, "What do we do?"  
  
"We fight!" Ming replied angrily as he fired another burst. A GM hiding under some cover exploded as a result.  
  
"Captain Ming! There shall be no fighting, prepare to withdraw!" Generl Wavell countermanded, "Our mission is more important! Colonel Gullivan, abandon the base! I will now be taking over your ships and Mobile Suits!"  
  
"But sir, you can't just leave us behind!" the Colonel objectted. The base had practically no defenses and escape craft, how could he possible hope to survive...  
  
"You and your men will be celebrated by the Zeon people! Sieg Zeon!" the General interrupted, cutting him off.  
  
"This is insane!" a Zaku Kai pilot objectted, just before he was suddenly vaporized by a volley of beams. One fired by Wavell himself.  
  
"Not following my orders shall be considered desertion!" the General declared with all the authority he could muster. HIS plan was going to be completed, no matter the cost.  
-  
"What the hell is going on out there?!" John observed as he saw a Zaku get vaporized by fire from its own ships. Don't tell me they're preparing a mutiny or something...  
  
"Our ships are in range!" Sylvie reported. "They are beginning to open fire!"  
  
"Artillery! Take them down!" Major Grunther ordered. Mutiny or not, the enemy force was staying still at the moment, perfect targets for their long range cannons. He started firing off his own heavy guns as well, taking down a Zaku Kai and blowing a leg off a Rick Dom II, "Mobile Suits, prepare to charge!"  
-  
The base defense force had scattered after the initial volleys, Ming saw, but they were now being enganged by small arms fire from the advancing Mobile Suits. That moronic Wavell, he thought, his outright execution had caused the base's green pilots to freeze only moments before, leaving them perfect targets for the enemy's big guns. Only two Zaku Kais and a single Rick Dom II were left now. And what had been bad odds were becoming much worse.  
  
"Ming help me here!" Mike pleaded as he started dragging the surviving Rick Dom II with him, whose leg had been blown off leaving him immobile. It was Ukiya's.  
  
"Damn it Mike! Later! We're in real trouble here!" Ming replied in an annoyed tone, "Where is our Gelgoog B and C type anyway?!" he demanded, just before Ukiya's Rick Dom fired a rocket that passed just beside his unit's head. He glared angrily at Ukiya, "What the hell was that for!?"  
  
A GM suddenly exploded behind Ming as a result of being hit by the Dom's rocket, "Just saving you, Captain," Ukiya replied in as even a voice as he could. He was terrified as hell, but seeing his squad get wiped out was more than enough motivation for him.  
  
"Uhh... thanks," Ming replied as he started to help Mike carry the damaged Rick Dom II to a safer position. Maybe I have misjudged them, he admitted. But with the remaining Zakus and ships now being enganged in a melee by the enemy Mobile Suits, it wasn't the time to think about it.  
  
"Craig here. Sorry I'm late," Craig Dennington, the pilot of the High Mobility Type Gelgoog, declared as he pulled his unit beside Ming's, and rather awkwardly at that. Craig was really just a test pilot who was tuning up the Gelgoog for its eventual owner, and he wasn't really able to harness its capabilities to its full potential. Another reason to worry.  
  
"Where's the damn Gelgoog Cannon?" Ming demanded. The two Gelgoogs were among the base's most powerful Mobile suits, and they most certainly could not leave without them.  
  
"All units, begin withdrawing NOW! Leave any disabled units!" the General suddenly ordered as the Tibe class cruiser guarding the base toppled over and began exploding, the victim of two squads of GMs and their supporting Balls. From a distance, Ming could see the Bismark start turning around to leave, closely followed by the Bremen. The other two Musais and the two Papuas were less enthusiastic to run, and remained behind to offer whatever cover they could provide for the base.  
  
"Idiot!" Craig growled at the General, "Billy's Gelgoog Cannon will be here in a minute, but with all the bad guys around..."  
  
"Leave me," Ukiya suddenly told the three of them solemnly, "Get the hell out of here guys."  
  
"To hell with that!" Mike declared, "I'm getting you home to your fiancee!"  
  
Ukiya was just about to object again when a pair of shells suddenly hit Craig's Gelgoog and sent the Mobile Suit flying from their position, trailing smoke as the propellant tanks were ruptured. Before they could do anything the Gelgoog exploded, killing Craig instantly.  
  
"! They're here!" Mike warned as he started firing his 90mm machine gun wildly at a pair of GMs approaching their position. His shots seemed to miss, but at least they were forced to take some cover.  
-  
, Jean thought as he peeked out of his cover. Their new machine gun was better than the old 120mm they used, and Nance's badly damaged GM was testament to that. Two more Mobile Suits pulled up beside him. One was the GM Commando, pilotted by Seargent Ignacio. While the second was the Major's unit, the Guncannon.  
  
"How is it Jean?" Karl asked as he fired several shells at the few remaining Mobile Suits. Far off to his right, a blinding flash indicated the death of yet another Zeon ship.  
  
"Not bad sir," Jean replied, "We've got them cornered at the moment, but the other GM teams are still busy with the ships. Looks like you got one of them beam capable ones though."  
  
"How about Rifle? Where is he?" Karl inquired. Max was his best pilot, and now that they had that ace cornered, he was going to get that before he could do any real damage.  
  
"Here sir," Max reported as he pulled his GM Sniper beside the Major's Guncannon, "Fred will be here soon," he added.  
  
"Alright, let's get that ace," the Major ordered, "Charge them while I cover you, understood?"  
-  
"They're holding back for a while..." Mike said as he slammed a fresh magazine into his machine gun.  
  
"Yeah, perfect time for you two to slip away," Ukiya advised.  
  
"The man's right Mike," Ming agreed, "If we don't go, we're dead."  
  
"Then at least let's wait for the Gelgoog Cannon!" Mike objected. Damn it, he thought, I can't ever be with the one I love anymore, but at least he can!  
  
"Mike, what's..." Ming started before his tone changed, "Oh ! Here they come!"  
  
Mike turned and quickly saw the sniper that had been haunting them for ages. He quickly dived, evading a beam fired in his direction. He fired back, but it missed as well.  
  
"Get out of here!" Ukiya told them, "I don't care if I'm captured, just don't get killed!"  
  
"But Ukiya..." Mike started.  
  
"They won't kill him Mike!" Ming countered angrily. He wasn't really sure, but he doubted that they would just kill a dumb young Lieutenany who knew nothing for fun as the stories said. They'll probably just use him to exchange for one of their captured dumb young Lieutenants. He hoped.  
-  
"Damn it, they're getting away!" Juan muttered angrily as he pointed to the two fleeing units.  
  
"Major, what about this one?" Max asked coldly, aiming his rifle at the damaged Rick Dom II. It quickly held both its arms up in surrender.  
  
"I..." the Major started before a massive beam suddenly struck his Guncannon. Karl felt something hot and sharp start tearing through his body. It was shrapnel, he realized, caused by an explosion near the cockpit. He started opening his eyes again. Blood was floating all around the cockpit, and he realized that though he was still alive, he didn't have much chance to... "This is the Major... I've been wounded. Jean take command!" he ordered as he pulled out the first aid kit.  
  
"Yes sir," Jean responded as he looked for their assailant. He suddenly spotted it, hiding in some debris, "Over there!" Jean shouted as he pointed to a new arrival. It was the cannon carrying prototype...  
  
"Get him!" Jean ordered as he aimed his beam spray gun, but before he could fire it started to pull out of range, trying to catch up with the ace and his wingman, "What are you waiting for?!" he asked at the rest of the team, "Let's follow them!"  
  
"What about the Major, and THAT?" Max asked coldy as he aimed his rifle at the damaged Rick Dom's chest.  
  
"We'll carry the Major out!" Sylvie said as she pulled her EWAC beside Karl's damaged GunCannon, "And as for the prisoner, you decide Max," she finished coldly as she discarded the radar shield and began to carry Karl's Guncannon away.  
  
Max nodded and looked back at the Rick Dom, rifle still aimed at its chest, "Stay here," he told its pilot coldly, before aiming the gun away. He had other, more worthy targets to shoot. -  
Karl started to drift in and out of consciousness, John saw as he began to pull some bandages around his wounds. This was bad...  
  
"Jessica..." Karl whispered quietly to no one in particular. I want to see you again, one last time. Please. I just want to see you...  
  
Who is she? John thought. Probably his love, he concluded. ! And if they couldn't get Karl to the Nightingale soon...  
  
"John! Get ready! We're almost at the medical transport!" Sylvie reported.  
  
"What the hell? Isn't it..." John started.  
  
"They've moved forward into the battle area to recover the wounded," Sylvie explained. Which was very brave of them, she didn't add, "I'm docking now!"  
  
John felt the Guncannon hit something solid as Sylvie set the wrecked Mobile Suit onto the transport's deck. The cockpit's doors suddenly opened, and John turned to see a female doctor, with two orderlies carrying a stretcher behind her.  
  
"What's his status?" the lady asked.  
  
"Bad, many cuts, possibly some decompression, and internal injuries. But he's one hell of a tough soldier umm.... miss?" John asked.  
  
"Mrs. Grunther," the nurse replied quickly as she pushed John out of the way, wanting to tend the patient as quickly as possible.  
  
"Mrs. Jessica Grunther?" John suddenly said out loud. It can't be...  
  
"Yes, how did you know?" the lady replied as she began to examine her patient, "Oh my God... Karl?"  
-  
Okay, I know B and C type Gelgoogs are EXTREMELY rare. So I'm fleshing out extra back stories for them. As mentioned, the base is actually a testing facility for new weapons(particularly the Gelgoog C conversion parts) and an emergency depot to be activated if Side 6 was to ever join the Federation(hence the presence of nuclear weaponry in the base). The B-type Gelgoog is there just for additional testing and for eventual "tuning up" for its "real" owner(which is an unnamed Zeon ace pilot, Craig is sort of a Zeon Christina Mackenzie). The C-type on the other hand is not one of the orginal 15 built but is a regular Gelgoog that was taken from the front lines and "converted" to a C-type using the conversion parts that Zeon had produced(according to the GP, enough for 122 units). It's purely a test unit to see of the converted C-type is as effective as the original ones. Whew!  
This is some of the gear issued to later Zeon MS as part of the Unified Equipment Plan.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	35. Chapter 35: I Once Had a Comrade

Chapter 35: I Once Had a Comrade  
  
"What the hell is happening out there?!" Lt. Colonel Yang demanded as the Anzio and her escorts arrived at the blocking position. Any Zeon units wanting to escape would have to go through them first.  
  
"Two Musais and a Tibe have destroyed along with most of the enemy Mobile Suits, however..." the communications officer started before being cut off by an explosion, "! That Gwajin type is here!"  
  
Yang took a quick look outside and saw the cruiser Quatre Bras slowly tilting over, covered in smoke. That damn red monster! "Target that ! Open fire!" he ordered.  
  
"Sir! High energy beam coming from below!" a lookout reported in a panicked voice.  
  
"WHAT?!" Yang shouted. The floor under him seemed to break apart a moment later.  
-  
"Got'm!" Billy Richardson, pilot of the Gelgoog Cannon, remarked as his shot hit the Salamis. It wasn't a fatal hit yet, but the Salamis was now trailing smoke while several secondary explosions rocked its hull.  
  
"Keep firing Billy," Ming advised as he fired a burst off to the pursuing GM Sniper. It missed.  
  
Max quickly took aim at the Jaeger as soon as he evaded the burst, and the enemy Mobile Suit entered the center of his sights. Another burst followed, but Max managed to get the shot off before evading.  
  
"Damn you!" Ming grolwed as he barely evaded the the shot fired by the sniper. Suddenly, there was an explosion behind him. Ming turned and saw to his horror that Billy's Gelgoog Cannon had been blown in half, its wrecked internal circuitry trailing out of the dismembered portions. To further add to the gruesome scene, blood trickled out of the Gelgoog's upper torso, announcing the death of yet another Zeon pilot.  
  
"Captain Ming Chow!" General Wavell suddenly ordered, "Return to the Bismark now!"  
  
Ming growled in frustration. He wanted revenge. That sniper had killed one too many...  
  
"Ming! Look out!" Mike warned as another beam headed off in Ming's direction.  
  
Ming quickly realized that the sniper was still going for him and tried to evade. This time he failed, losing an arm to the beam. Several other Federation Mobile Suits had now caught up with the sniper, and they were seriously outnumbered.  
  
"Ming... Out of here, now!" Mike warned as he turned around and started heading towards the Bismark.  
  
"I'm coming," Ming replied in a frustrated voice. That sniper... I'll get you someday.  
-  
"Lady Luck, please watch over us a little longer..." Major Miles prayed as his ship barely evaded a volley of beams fired by the escorting Musai. The Johnston was the luckiest damn ship in the entire Federation space fleet after all... The Johnston was suddenly rocked by an explosion. , Miles thought, we just had to run out... "Damage report!"  
  
"That was the Quatre Bras exploding sir," the communications officer reported, "We're still in one piece."  
  
"What's the status of the Anzio?" Miles demanded as he turned to the heavily damaged cruiser. It suddenly fired a volley of beams in the direction of the Gwajin.  
-  
"Mike!" Ming screamed as he saw a volley of beams head straight for the Bismark, Mike's Rick Dom II right in their path. Mike tried to evade, but to Ming's horror Mike was caught in one of the beams, slicing off both of its legs. Ming turned in anger at the cruiser that had fired and aimed straight at its bridge.  
-  
"We hit him sir!" the Anzio's gunnery officer reported.  
  
"We caused some structural damage," a lookout reported, "But enemy guns are still operational."  
  
"Alright," Yang ordered as he pressed his hand on his shoulder. Damn shrapnel, he thought, "Begin evasive..."  
  
"Sir!" the lookout suddenly reported in a panicked voice, "The ace is aiming right at us! He's firing!"  
-  
"Take that you !" Ming shouted in delight as he saw the enemy ship's bridge flare up. A backup volley of beams from the Bismark quickly finished it off.  
  
"Remind me not to get you mad Ming..." a voice told him. To Ming's utter relief, it was Mike.  
  
"Mike, are you alright?" Ming asked as he pulled his Jaeger just beside Mike's damaged Rick Dom II.  
  
"Yeah..." Mike started before realizing to his horror that the sniper was just behind Ming, already aiming its beam rifle, "Look out Ming!" he screamed as he pushed the Jaeger away.  
  
"Mike..." Ming started as his Jaeger began to tumble away from the Rick Dom II. To his horror, the beam meant for him struck the Rick Dom II right in the chest instead, turning it into a glowing ball of death a second later.  
  
"MIKE!" Ming screamed in pure rage as he saw that. He turned, and saw the sniper, his eyes now burning in anger. He fired madly at it, missing and missing again, until finally getting a scratch hit on the leg. But then it turned at him and fired back, narrowly severing his remaining arm.  
  
"Captain! Return NOW!" General Wavell ordered. With only one Salamis left in action, his two remaining ships could now slip pass the blockade. And he was going wether Ming was with them or not.  
  
Ming very badly wanted to fire more, and kill. To kill the taker of so many Zeon lives. The killer of his best friend. But ammuniton was almost out, as was fuel, and Ming's military training had begun to take over once again. With the greatest reluctance, he turned away and headed towards the Bismark. Tears flowed down his cheeks all the way.  
------------------------------------ "Damn it, they're getting away!" Major Miles growled as he saw the Bismark start outrunning them, closely followed by its escort Musai. I'll get'm for you Yang...  
  
"Missile approaching!" the lookout reported in a panicked tone, "Heading straight for us!"  
  
"Evade! Evade!" Major Miles ordered. Suddenly a huge Zeon missile popped up right in front of his bridge, and he knew it was too late.  
-  
"Damn..." Max muttered to himself as the ace entered the enemy ship's hangar. He wanted to pursue, but with the Johnston badly damaged as well as his own thrusters, it was impossible. He quickly flew past the Johnston's bridge, its outer glass panels all shattered by the missile hit. Her luck finally seemed to...  
  
"Major Miles here," the Johnston's wounded, but still living CO reported, "It was a dud! A dud! Man is it good to be alive!"  
  
"How bad?" Max replied in a calmer tone. He shook his head. Johnston had more lives than a family of cats.  
  
"Most of the bridge crew is wounded, but none seriously," the Major reported with a smile, "Go get'm!"  
  
"Don't worry Max, leave it to us," Jean told him as he passed by the Johnston and Max with the rest of the MS teams, "Sorry we're a little late, but we had some problems with the base's fixed defenses," his GM quickly snapped into a salute and headed in the direction the fleeing Zeon ships took.  
  
"He's pretty fast," Max warned, "I could barely keep up with that ace." And he had the fastest GM, he didn't add.  
  
"All units, cease the pursuit," General Dolvich suddenly ordered, "Return to our intial positions."  
  
"What the hell?" Major Miles asked out loud. They had them on the run, and if they didn't go get them...  
  
"We got another transmission from General Nicolo," the General explained with contempt in his voice, and it was certainly all the explaining the fleet would ever need. -  
"How's the Major?" Sylvie asked worriedly as she saw John waiting quietly outside the operating room.  
  
"Very bad Sylvie," John replied grimly, "He might not make it."  
  
"Can... can we see him?" Sylvie asked, shocked. Karl didn't seem the type who would get killed so easily...  
  
The door suddenly opened a female doctor stepped out, her eyes red with tears. It was Jessica.  
  
"How is he doc?" John asked somberly.  
  
"He's dying," Jessics replied, her voice cracking, "And I can't save him... He's asking for somebody from his unit..."  
  
"I'll go," John replied firmly, "Stay here a while Sylvie," he ordered as he quickly turned around and entered the room.  
  
"Excuse me, but do you know the Major?" Sylvie asked the doctor. He didn't seem to be the type who was interested in women...  
  
"He was... still is my husband," she replied quietly as she sat down on a bench beside the door, "And now I'm going to lose him forever..."  
-  
"Major?" John asked as he saw Karl lying on the hospital bed, an IV unit dripping blood into his bleeding body. But with all the injuries...  
  
"Ah... Lieutenant Recto..." Karl replied weakly, "Good I..." he started before coughing.  
  
"Sir, you shouldn't talk, you should..." John warned.  
  
"I don't much time left kid," he countered, "So you'd better listen."  
  
"Yes sir," John replied weakly. He realized he was here for the man's last will.  
  
"Good, so take this down..."  
-  
Sylvie looked on quietly as Mrs. Jessica Grunther cried beside her. She didn't know what to do, what to say...  
  
"Was he a good commander?" Jessica suddenly asked her, though her eyes were still fixed on the floor.  
  
"Yes, he was. He did a lot of brave things to save his men," Sylvie replied honestly.  
  
"The last time I met him, he was only a Seargent..." Jessica explained, "That was when I left him..."  
  
"Why did you...?" Sylvie started before stopping. STUPID! she thought to herself. This is the wrong time to make her...  
  
"I just wanted him to be with me..." Jessica answered to no one in particular, "He told me before we were married that being a military wife would be too hard for me... But I didn't listen. And I blamed him for it..."  
  
"Mam..." Sylvie started, still not knowing what to say...  
  
"I'm sorry," she replied, wiping away her tears, "Here I am pouring my heart out to a stranger, when it's not your problem. But I just can't help myself..."  
  
"It's alright mam," Sylvie replied in as comforting a tone as she could. She should be back there, she thought, spending her time with the Major instead of out here. What was taking John?  
-  
"Alright... got that?" Karl asked as he finished his parting words, mainly for his old friend Colonel Patterson. Now all he needed was to see Jessica again...  
  
"Yes sir," John replied teary-eyed, "I'll call her now sir."  
  
"And John make sure those two, start understanding each other again..." Karl requested, "I'd hate to see them end up like me..."  
  
"Don't worry sir..." John replied quietly, knowing exactly who those two were, "I'll try my best."  
  
"You'll do well John," Karl told him with a smile, "You'd make a good officer someday..."  
  
"Thank you sir, I really appreciate that."  
-  
"How's the Major?" Seargent Juan asked as he met Sylvie outside the Major's room, a middle aged woman siting beside her. He knew he was late, since he had to make a detour to deliver the slightly wounded Fred to an operating room, but he couldn't be that late, could he?  
  
Sylvie shook her head, "It's very bad..."  
  
"Can we visit him?" a new voice asked in a quiet tone. It was Max.  
  
The door opened again as John stepped out of the room, "Doctor, he'd like to speak with you now..." John said in a subdued tone.  
  
The woman simply nodded and went in, leaving the rest of them outside. "Who is she?' Juan asked.  
  
"His wife," John replied quietly. -  
"Karl... I'm sorry..." Jessica started as she entered the room, her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"No you shouldn't..." Karl replied, "You did all you could... it's just my time..."  
  
"No, it's not just that..." Jessica replied, though it was part of it. Being a doctor yet unable to save the one she loved, "Even though I left you, it wasn't... it wasn't because I hated you..."  
  
"I understand," Karl replied simply, his voice getting weaker and weaker, "I was never home, how could I expect you to wait for me all the time? But I am happy to see you again, one last time."  
  
"Karl... I also have one last thing to tell you..." Jessica started, not sure wether she should continue or not. But he had to know, didn't he? He had to know...  
  
"If you've found somebody else, then congratulations," Karl replied, joy in his eyes. That made Jessica regret her decision in the past even more.  
  
"No Karl, I haven't..." Jessica explained, "You see..." she continued, holding his hand tightly, "We have a son now... you see?" she asked as she produced a picture of a baby boy, "Erwin Grunther..."  
  
Karl simply looked at the picture and felt tears filling his eyes. It must have been that last night they spent together. The last time they truly let their passion out one last time before truly contemplating seperation. His son... his very own son... One that he'll never see grow into a man...  
  
"He's safe in Side 6 with my sister..." she continued, "I should have... I should have written back to you... But I was afraid that you stopped loving me but..."  
  
She couldn't finsh that last sentence. Jessica finally collapsed and wrapped her arms around Karl, sobbing as she did so. Wishing that she her grip could keep him from death. But she knew that there was nothing to stop the inevitable... "I love you..."  
  
She then suddenly felt a pair of lips kiss her forehead, and a hand stroking her hair. She held her head up and saw his face... smiling. Still smiling at her... despite...  
  
"I still love you too Jessica," Karl told her with a smile while tears trickled down his face, "And I'm sorry... that I won't be able to take care of the both of you anymore..."  
  
"Karl... don't..." Jessica started, before Karl finally lay his head over her shoulder, his heart beating ever more slowly...  
  
"Find some one else to take care of you, alright?" he asked, "And thank you..."  
  
"Karl? ...Karl?"  
-  
"That idiot..." Colonel Patterson muttered as he read the orders from Nicolo. Cancel ALL patrols around Side 2 and 6 he says... AND let any Zeon units go. What rubbish!  
  
"Sir... I've got a transmission from the Nightingale," the communications officer reported.  
  
"What is it?" the Colonel asked solemnly. He was afraid of this. He still hoped for the best but...  
  
"Major Grunther is dead sir," the comms officer reported, grief in his voice.  
  
"Let's head over to the Nightingale," he ordered, his face betraying only a fraction of his feelings. Damn. Not Karl.  
-  
"They are not pursuing us?" General Wavell asked.  
  
"No sir, it's been over an hour and nobody is still pursuing us," the XO reported.  
  
"Could this be a trap?" General Wavell considered. His force was heading in the direction of Granada for the moment, and though he doubted there would be a second blocking force there might be one just waiting for them...  
  
"Sir! I've spotted several ships! Identity unknown!" the lookout reported.  
  
"Identify! Who are they!?" the General demanded. Damn it, did we just get trapped?  
  
"This is Colonel Jefferson of the Granada Fleet," a voice over the intercom declared, "Hold your fire Bismark, we're back."  
-  
"Here's his last words for you sir," John told the Colonel as he handed him a sealed envelope, "And sir, he asked that instead of Taps we should play..."  
  
"I Once had a Comrade in his funeral, correct?" the Colonel asked solemnly, "I know. He liked that song better. What about his wife?"  
  
"I'll... I'll be alright," the doctor standing behind John assured, "At least I didn't let him die alone..."  
  
John quickly took a step back to let the two meet. Only Colonel Patterson had known that Karl had a wife, and it seems only appropriate that those two met.  
  
"Mrs. Grunther, please accept my sincerest apologies for the death of your husband," the Colonel told her as he stood at attention, eyes locked onto hers, showing only sincere regret.  
  
"I understand, thank you Colonel," Jessica replied, "But I still will never have him back..." she finished, before turning away. She had more crying to do in her room.  
-  
"Ming, how are you?" the Colonel asked as he entered his top pilot's room. He must be devastated, he thought.  
  
"I'm alone now," he replied solemnly, "I've lost everything, my family, my friends, and I'll make those Feddies pay," he continued, this time his voice filled with rage.  
  
"You still have me don't you Captain?" the Colonel asked, "I do consider you a friend you know."  
  
"Sir, it's not possible for a Captain to be friends with a Colonel," Ming replied rather bluntly, "Military heirarchy sir."  
  
"Yeah, but off duty, I consider you a friend," he explained, "Come on, I'll help you clean out Mike's room..."  
  
"As you say sir," Ming replied without much enthusiasm.  
-  
Nearly the whole crew of the Spruance was there to pay their last respects, the Colonel saw. The Major wasn't exactly the friendliest person onboard, but he was among the most respected.  
  
The trumpeter took a step forward and began to play the final tune for Major Karl Grunther. As he requested, it was not the usual taps, but an old German war song. "I Once had a Comrade." One that had marched by our side. One who had left a widow, and a son fatherless. A scene that had been repeated countless times in this war. -  
Letters from Mei Li? Ming thought as he went through Mike's belongings. So is that why he was trying so hard to save Ukiya?  
  
He sighed and simply put it into the box. Something he'll never know now. The next thing Ming found surprised him. It was a harmonica, with a couple of music sheets. Mike had used to practice in the beginning of the war... One song sheets in particular caught his attention. "I Once had a Comrade." Another old German war song Zeon had adopted from the German military. He knew how to play the harmonica a little, and he picked it up and started to play the tune. The song was appropriate for the moment. I once had a comrade, he had marched by my side.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	36. Chapter 36: Last Chances

Chapter 36: Last Chances  
  
Dec. 30 UC 0079- Just outside Zeon Space Fortress A Bou Qu, EFSFS Borodino  
  
"There she is sir. The Gwajin type," a lookout reported to his new CO, Major Alfonso. Promoted after the disgraceful performance of the Borodino's former CO.  
  
"Yeah, I see her too," Major Alfonso replied in a worried tone. He knew it was highly unlikely that the Gwajin was out here to fight, being outnumbered nearly fifty to one, but he still felt it may be a trap. But then, it was a chance to end this damn war, and THAT was something to root for.  
  
"The White Base and accompanying ships are approaching the battlefield area," another lookout reported.  
  
The Major simply nodded. They owed a lot to the White Base, he knew. Its crew had killed more than their fair share of dangerous enemies, including Admiral Dozul and that mysterious new "Ghost of Solomon" Mobile Armor. The last one had been particularly frightening, being able to attack from beyond visual range with fire coming from seemingly nowhere. He had to thank them someday...  
  
"SIR! High Energy Beam approaching, coming from Side 3!" a lookout reported in an excited tone.  
  
"It's power is off the scale!!!" a technician screamed.  
  
The Major was just about to order them to evade when a massive yellow beam rushed past just right of his ship. It seemed a bit like the Solar System they had used at Solomon...  
  
But much, much, more powerful... Even though they were a few hundred meters from the beam, paint was scorched off the side of the ship and alarm claxons rang all around as small fires erupted all over the ship. The Major turned to the beam's target, Revil's fleet, and saw that it was... melting... literally melting. With the Gwajin with it...  
  
Suddenly, just as fast as it had come, it stopped. Nothing remained of what had been Revil's battle fleet, save a few glowing embers. That fleet had been nearly a third of the entire Federation Force. A panicked radio man began announcing the destruction of the Phebe, General Revil's flagship, along with the Gwajin that had once carried Zeon's leader, Degin Zabi. And with their deaths, all hopes for an early peace died with them.  
-  
"Damn, that bad?" Colonel Patterson commented as he heard news about the Solar Ray attack. That treacherous Giren, he thought, willing to kill off his own father for military gain.  
  
"At least Zeon has been quiet here for the past three days," General Dolvich reminded, "And we're recieving even more new equipment today."  
  
"What use is it sir?" the Colonel growed back, "General Nicolo won't let us engange in battle if a Zeon force does appear anyway."  
  
"Only if they don't enter Side 2," General Dolvich reminded. That Nicolo, intentionally making the orders unclear in the previous battle. Although the Zeon base was now firmly in Federation hands, along with a good deal of Zeon equipment and prisoners, an enemy battleship and cruiser had escaped along with that enemy ace pilot. Still a considerable force.  
  
"You think they'll try to retake the base sir?" Colonel Patterson asked. Somehow, he felt the enemy force was now on its way to A Bou Qu.  
  
"You never know Patterson, you never know..."  
-  
"We're going to try to retake Hormuz base sir?" Colonel Jefferson asked doubtfully. Somehow, that seemed insane. Even for a guy like Wavell.  
  
"No, only you and your three escorting Musais will be part of the attack," General Wavell replied with an evil smile.  
  
"Why sir?" Jefferson asked.  
  
"To distract them, my dear Colonel," General Wavell replied in a wicked tone, "Side 2 is the only route available to us in order to accomplish our mission to attack Side 6. You've seen the intelligence reports, all other routes are now being heavily guarded by the Federation, THIS is their weak spot."  
  
"Yes sir, but they still have a formidable fleet," Jefferson countered.  
  
"All you need is to delay the main fleet a few hours, Jefferson," the General replied in a gentler tone, "By then my speedy battleship and your old ship the Bremen will be already at Side 6."  
  
"I doubt four ships and twelve Mobile Suits can last a few hours," the Colonel replied acidly.  
  
"But remember, I will only have to make do with three Mobile Suits. The two Rick Dom IIs and your great ace," the General reminded, this time in a very forceful tone. You want to question me, COLONEL?  
  
"Very well sir, I'll do my duty," Colonel Jefferson replied in a resigned tone. At least he wasn't going to be doing the mass murdering, was he?  
-  
"What have you done to my Jaeger?" Ming asked as he entered the hangar. The engineers had wanted to make a few "modifications" to it, and the result did not please Ming. They had added a C-type Cannon upgrade to the Gelgoog Jaeger, giving it heavy firepower but at the expense of much of its maneuverability. He did NOT want to end up like Billy...  
  
"Don't worry Captain," the chief engineer explained, "We've upgraded the thruster output a bit to offset the weight, as well as adding some extra fuel tanks to compensate for the higher consumption. Besides, you also get a spare beam rifle."  
  
"But my job is to kill Mobile Suits, not ships," Ming countered. Which was exactly what the Cannon was designed for.  
  
"The thing IS very powerful against Mobile Suits if properly used. However, you can detach the cannon mid-battle if you want," the chief replied with a grin, "We've got a few spares anyway."  
  
"Where did we get those chief?" Ming asked.  
  
"Call'm surplus from the Hormuz Base," the chief replied with a wide grin.  
-  
"How many did you get?" Major Johnny Ridden asked as the last of the Ace Pilot Corps returned to their initial positons at the conclusion of "Operation Clarion." A surprise attack on the Feddie fleet gathering outside of A Bou Qu using their ship-killing Gelgoog Cannons. A few Federation Sabrefish tried to follow them, but Johnny quickly fired two shots that killed one and convinced the rest to retreat.  
  
"I think we got two ships and a dozen Mobile Suits, Major," Thomas Kurtz, a Federation defector and pilot of one of the Gelgoog Cannons reported, "But when we were coming back I counted two Gelgoog Cannons short. A couple of other Gelgoog Cannons were damaged as well."  
  
"Damn!" Johnny muttered. The Gelgoog Cannon was one VERY limited issue unit, only around fifteen or so having been built. And now they had just lost at least two of them. A plan to upgrade existing A type Gelgoogs into the C type beam cannon carrying form was already underway, but the first shipment of parts to A Bou Qu had been delayed due to some "technical difficulties." Great, just what they needed. He wondered if the Feddies have to go through the same type of bull.  
-  
"I didn't think they could finish it in time..." Max said quietly as he saw the new Mobile Suit in the Spruance's hangar. But just as the Federation's engineers had promised at the beginning of its rushed development program, here it was. THE GM to pilot, the GM Sniper II.  
  
"Another gift from Side 6," the chief mechanice explained with a VERY wide grin, "For you, Captain."  
  
Max frowned a little at that last statement. He had been promoted to Captain as the new commander of the 44th after the death of Major Grunther, but it was nothing to celebrate about.  
  
"Sorry sir," the chief apologized, "Being Captain probably still needs some getting used to. But anyway, this GM is the best damn GM I've ever had the honor of servicing. Good enough to beat the Gundam even."  
  
"Who'll take my old sniper?" Max asked, back to the point.  
  
"Supposedly Fred, but he's down for a few more days due to that broken arm of his. For now it's going to be down for maintenance."  
  
Max simply nodded. It was a damn shame that Fred had been injured in the previous battle, a result of being tossed around the cockpit a little too hard after suffering a direct hit from the fixed defenses. But he only had one other choice for the Sniper's pilot, but there was no way he was going to let her risk her life again.  
-  
"Hey Fred, be careful..." Sylvie warned as he entered the wardroom, his left arm inert in a sling. The doctors had recommended bed rest for at least another week, lest his broken arm get worse.  
  
"Yeah, but I couldn't stand the hospital food anymore," Fred replied with a smile, "Hey Juan, how'd you been doing without me for the past couple of days?"  
  
"Oh, the usual," Juan replied with a grin to his old wingman, "Good thing you got here today, mail call you see..."  
  
"There's not really much good news you know..." Fred warned. Juan was a rookie who hadn't known a lot of people in the military yet, but not Fred and most of the crew. Friends had died in the treacherous Zeon attack, and more may follow as soon as the Battle of A Bou Qu got into full swing.  
  
The door suddenly opened as John stepped in, carrying a packet of envelopes. John was usually the one who distributed the mail, and always with a smile. But today his face looked far serious.  
  
"Any problem John?" Sylvie asked.  
  
"Umm... Sylvie, could you come with me?" John requested.  
  
"Why?" Sylvie asked, slightly worried, slightly surprised.  
  
"Just trust me Sylvie," he replied quietly, "Juan, could you please give these...?"  
  
"Sure," Juan replied as he saw the serious look on his face. What the hell had just happened?  
  
"Thanks," John said as he handed over the envelopes, "Come on Sylvie..." he started as he exitted the room.  
  
"Alright John..." Sylvie replied as she followed him out. What now? she thought.  
-  
"Okay John, what was so important that we had to go out here?" Sylvie asked as they had walked some distance away from the wardroom.  
  
"You see Sylive..." he started. ! How the hell am I supposed to say this?  
  
"What John? Tell me, it can't be that bad..." Sylvie added almost jokingly. His serious look quickly extinguished any humor she thought of the situation.  
  
"Last December 19, a Zeon force attacked a colony at Side 6," John reported quietly, "That colony was Libot..."  
  
"What... what are you saying?" Sylvie asked, her voice now shaking. Dear God, no...  
  
"There were lots of civilian casualties and..." John continued.  
  
"Who!?" Sylvie asked, unable to contain herself anymore. No! Please, not just after we had finally begun to make up... no...  
  
"Both your dad and sister were killed Sylvie, I'm sorry," John reported solemnly as his shoulders slumped down, feeling weak and numb. There was nothing he could have done, nothing he could do. But he was a human being, and he also felt her pain, more so since he had to endure the same situation so long ago...  
  
Sylvie simply stood motionless, completely shocked. It was soon replaced by overwhelming grief, one that threatened to rip out her heart. She started to feel tears start pouring down her cheeks, and felt that it was too much, that she didn't want to be seen, to be with anybody anymore. She quickly turned and ran to her room without another word.  
  
"!" John growled. This damn war! This damn ing war just kept taking lives and causing grief. What glory? What patriotism? This was just another damn ing excuse for those power mongers, those who could not even see its truest horrors. And to make it worse there was nothing he could do... or could he?  
-  
"Maybe John finally realized he liked her..." Juan said jokingly as speculations began to spread around the wardroom on what had happened. He was about to regret ever saying that.  
  
"Anybody seen Max?" John suddenly asked as he burst into the room.  
  
"Uh... he's in the hangar, why?" Juan asked.  
  
"Need to talk to him," John replied simply.  
  
"John, what happened anyway?" Fred asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Sylvie's dad and sister are dead," John replied quietly, before turning to leave. All eyes turned to Juan.  
  
"Oh God..." Juan said as he had realized just how stupid he had been. ! Why did I say that?! Why the hell did I say that!? Sylvie...  
  
"Don't think about it too much kid..." Fred advised, "But... !" Of all people, why her again?  
-  
"Max, you need to talk to Sylvie," John told Max just as he met him in the hangar.  
  
"John, we've already been through this..." Max started.  
  
John angrily grabbed Max and pulled him away to a more secluded location, despite Max's incredolous look. This was no time for them to have a violent argument, but if he needed to he would start one.  
  
"John what the hell are you doing?!" Max asked angrily as soon as they managed to reach an out of the way part of the hangar, looking very annoyed.  
  
"Sylvie's dad and sister are dead, Max. She's alone," John replied more quietly. And I really hope I'm right about you...  
  
Max's cold expression didn't change, but something more important did. His eyes. They were showing real grief, real sadness. Real regret.  
  
"I think it's time for you to get back into her life Max," John advised.  
  
"John... you know what has happened in the past two weeks. I'll only make her situation worse," Max protested, but in a weak tone. He wanted to go, but after all that he had been putting her through... Making her feel alone all the time... ignoring her feelings... making her do things she didn't want to do... things she hated herself for...  
  
"Do YOU belive that?" John asked.  
  
"Yes," Max replied quietly and honestly. He'd been hurting her for a year, and he doubted that will change.  
  
"But can you really stand her being alone?" John suddenly added. Max's expression rapidly changed. He had hit the mark.  
  
"No," Max replied, "Excuse me but..."  
  
"Don't let me stop you," John replied as he nodded his head. And please don't make her cry anymore, he didn't add. But he knew Max would try.  
-  
The door to her room had been open when he got there, and he quietly let himself in. Sylvie was inside, sobbing alone in her bed. Not caring about the world around her anymore. Max decided it was best to close the door behind him now, lest her tears cause unwanted attention.  
  
Sylvie turned her head at the sound of the door closing, and saw HIM. What did HE want now? "What do you want?" she muttered coldly as she sat up.  
  
"Sylvie... I... I heard about what happened..." Max started.  
  
"So?" Sylvie asked angrily, "You're not going to do anything about it anyway..."  
  
"I'm sorry Sylvie... I really am," Max apologized. Knowing that it would never be enough, "And I'm not just going to sit around and watch you anymore..." he continued as he sat beside her.  
  
"Max?" Sylvie asked, her voice a mix of grief and surprise. Before she could utter another word he suddenly put his arms around her... Trying... actually trying... to comfort her... Sylvie felt more tears well up. This was... this was the only thing that she had really ever wanted. To be in his arms again, for him to be able to love her again...  
  
But then she remembered her father, who had held her so lovingly as a baby... And now he could never hold her like that anymore... And how it had taken his death for Max to finally come back to her... Damn Max... why didn't he do that all the times before?! "Max, please just get off me..."  
  
"Sylvie..." Max started. But he knew that his sins were now catching up to him, and he wanted to hold her a little longer, just to keep her from being cold for a little longer...  
  
"Max, I don't feel anything anymore, being in your arms..." Sylvie interrupted in a cold tone. There... she thought, I'm finally really going to be alone... I'm really going to throw him away now... I'm just going to be cold like he is.... But her heart was screaming for her not to do it.  
  
"Sylvie, don't throw your heart away," Max told her desperately, "Sylvie, you know that you have a kind heart... it's the best part of you... so don't..."  
  
"It's already gone Max..." Sylvie replied coldly, "You ripped it out and threw it away for me. So just leave me, please..."  
  
Finally, Max let go, letting Sylvie see for the first time tears in his eyes. She began to feel terrible. Had she become so spiteful as that? Had she become as cruel as that? Even if she had nothing left to live for... did it mean she could hurt him too?  
  
But before she could think of anything else, Max quickly stood up and headed for the door and opened it. Just before he stepped out, he whisphered, "I know... that you hate me Sylvie. But..."  
  
"I do hate you," Sylvie interrupted coldly, "And leave it at that," But inside her, she felt as if she had just been torn apart.  
  
"But I can't stand to see you alone... like me," Max finished, before he stepped out, closing the door behind him. Sylvie felt as if the world had just frozen all around her, as she could no longer feel any warmth inside of her... only loneliness.  
-  
", I've made things worst again, haven't I?" John asked as he saw Max's devastated face.  
  
"No John, it's alright," Max replied as he regained his composure, "I deserve it anyway. But I just hope that I helped her back there..."  
  
"Time will tell," John replied simply, "Time will tell."  
------------------------------------ Sylvie lay alone in her bed, tears still trickling down her cheeks. I was right wasn't I? she thought to herself. He didn't care about me this past year. He told me to go home early in the war, but I didn't listen did I? But at least he could have appreciated me wanting to be with him... So why does it still hurt? Why do I feels so terrible?  
  
I loved him before the war... she thought. In fact I loved him through much of it... But I've given up on him after Muarice died... After all, all he ever did was... to be alone. To be alone all the time... even when he had lost everyone he loved, when he needed somebody the most... he never asked for me to be with him... Didn't he want me to share that pain? Did he... love me so much that he threw away his... his own heart... so that I wouldn't have to worry about him anymore...  
  
But, how could he have shared that pain...? When I never tried to comfort him? To tell him that he wasn't alone... To tell him... that I love him...  
  
It then came as a sudden shock, a sudden realization. That in all the time they had spent together, even before the war when life had been more peaceful... she had never, not once, told him how she really felt... that she loved him... that all she ever wanted was to be with him... and all she could tell him was the opposite: I do hate you...  
  
She quickly stood up. She needed to talk to Max. Right now.  
-  
"Not bad Max," John observed as he saw the complicated maneuvers his GM Sniper II was taking. John was now on the cruiser Johnston, sent by Colonel Patterson to help teach a new bridge crew the works. The old crew, including Major Miles, were all now safe in Side 6 recieving medical attention for their injuries. He just hoped the new crew could get their together, because even Lady Luck may be unable to do anything to help them now...  
  
Around the bridge the new crew seemed as if they were fish pulled out of water. Being no more than a bunch of inexperienced non-coms and 2nd Lieutenants, it was obvious that somebody was skimping on the training budget. What made it worse was that the new CO had less than a sterling reputation. Reportedly a yellow bellied idiot who abandoned his post. Wonderful.  
  
"Recto, how is the new crew?" Colonel Patterson asked over the radio.  
  
"Sir, do you want me to be frank?" John asked.  
  
"Alright, I understand, but give them a chance, alright?" the Colonel advised.  
  
"Yes sir."  
-  
"How long till he comes back?" Sylvie asked the chief mechanic as she arrived at the hangar.  
  
"A couple of hours. He's enjoying flying the new machine," the chief explained.  
  
"Do you mind if I wait here?" Sylvie asked.  
  
"Of course not," the chief replied with a smile.  
  
Sylvie had just nodded when alarm claxons began to ring all round her.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
  
Any comments, anyone?:) 


	37. Chapter 37: The Time for Making Choices

Second to the last chapter, released with the last one:D. Enjoy! And please give your comments when you're done. And thank you to all those who have managed to read this far!  
  
Chapter 37: The Time for Making Choices  
  
Dec. 31, UC 0079 Zeon Space Fortress A Bou Qu, "S Field"  
  
"Take this you Feddie scum!" a rookie Zeon Gelgoog pilot screamed as he started to fire his beam rifle wildly at the approaching Federation Force. The beam rifle was a powerful weapon, but at the hands of an inexperienced pilot it was useless against the evading veteran GM pilots he was facing. As he tried to adjust his aim, a trio of beams fired off by the cruiser Borodino reduced him to ashes.  
  
"What's happening to the 2nd and 3rd fleet?" Major Alfonso demanded as the Gelgoog flared up, referring to the main Federal Forces attacking A Bou Qu head on. So far resistance had been spoaradic in their area, but if the main forces were beaten the Zeeks might be able to turn their full attention against them. Something to worry about.  
  
"I can't contact the flagship Rizar sir!" the communications officer reported, "Last I hear they've lost a Magellan and several cruisers..."  
  
"Unidentified enemy unit! Approaching at high speed!" a lookout reported excitedly. What surprises did Zeon have for them now?! he thought, "! I lost him! Where did he go?!"  
  
A quartet of beams suddenly pierced right through the Salamis class cruiser just beside theirs, the ship quickly lost control and collided into another one, both ships exploding in the conflagration. A second quartet of beams, this time coming from the OPPOSITE direction, impacted the cruiser just below them, exploding it.  
  
"Damn, is this another one of those Zeon super weapons...?" Major Alfonso muttered. But the Zeon line in front of him seemed to be weakening... Even if the Zeeks had a new weapon, it was only one unit, right?  
  
"We've lost another cruiser!" the lookout reported, "Damn! Where did that go?!"  
  
"Forget about it!" Major Alfonso ordered, "Full speed ahead! Let's run down that enemy line!"  
-  
Regardless of the battle going on at A Bou Qu, General Dolvich now had his own problem. The enemy fleet was back, and heading straight for Hormuz base. There were only four ships, however...  
  
"Sir! The Spruance is ready to intercept them!" Colonel Patterson declared. Let's get them before they get here, he didn't add.  
  
"Hold it Patterson, stay here," General Dolvich ordered.  
  
"Sir?" Patterson asked. Was there something he missed?  
  
"There are three Musais and a Tibe. What happened to the Gwajin?"  
-  
John glared angrily at the Johnston's new bridge crew. With the exception of the talented gunner, everybody else was mediocre at best.  
  
"It's four ships sir..." the radar man reported nervously.  
  
"How about figuring out what TYPE?" John encouraged.  
  
"A big one and three smaller ones?" the radarman replied meekly, not knowing what to say or do.  
  
John was about to chew the guy out for not studying the Zeon ship classifications more properly when the door opened and the CO steeped in, looking very uncomfortable. John scowled, he didn't deserve it but... "Attention on deck! Commanding officer on the bridge."  
  
"Thank you Lieutenant," the CO replied, "We've been ordered to stay behind with the Actium, Spruance and Gorbachev while the rest of the fleet enganges the enemy force. So there is nothing to worry about crew," he finished.  
  
"Begging your pardon sir, but an enemy force IS closing on us..." John countered.  
  
"Nothing to worry about," the CO replied, trying but failing to look confident, "Just keep teaching them Lieutenant," he advised before turning around and leaving the crew to themselves.  
  
"Wondeful..." John muttered to himself, how the hell did that guy ever make Lt. Colonel? he wondered. But in any case... "Alright, ya rookies! If you want to survive this war, you'd better listen carefully..."  
-  
"Sir! The enemy fleet is coming out to attack us!" the Wilhelm's radar man reported.  
  
"Is it all of them?" Coloenl Jefferson inquired.  
  
"I don't think so. They may have left two or three ships behind," the radar man replied.  
  
The Colonel simply nodded. Those would be Wavell's problem now, not his, "Alright! Launch all Mobile Suits! Prepare for battle!"  
-  
Max wanted to go, but orders were orders and he had to follow them. Especially now that he was now a Captain. But at least his new green painted GM Sniper II was a wonderful unit, everything that the chief had promised and more. His admiration for his new Mobile Suit managed to relieve his sadness a bit. Damn, he thought, I wonder if Sylvie is alright now?  
  
"Captain sir, I'm here," Juan declared as he pulled his GM Commando beside his, "Looks like we're going to be pretty lonely..." he observed.  
  
"Yeah," Max replied quietly. The two of them were the only ones left behind while the rest of the Mobile Suits and Balls were sent against the incoming Zeon fleet. The EWAC and his old sniper were both still in the Spruance, but there were no pilots left for them, at least none that he'd allow to fly.  
  
"I hope Jean and the others will be careful..." Juan observed as several flashes appeared on the horizon. The battle was beginning in earnest.  
-  
"Looks like they've improved a bit," Jean observed as several rockets streaked pass him. But we've also improved, he didn't add. If the 17th fleet's GM pilots weren't fighting, they were training, and it was paying off. Despite their heavy fire no GM had been killed, although two were damaged. A pretty good score since the last time.  
  
"They're holding back," Seargent Nance reported, "It doesn't seem like they're trying hard to breakthrough."  
  
"Maybe their morale is low," Jean answered, "We are invading their homeland now you know."  
  
"Yes sir, that could be it," Nance replied as he evaded two rockets sent in his direction. He quickly fired back and lopped an arm off a Dom, "But they're still firing like crazy..."  
  
"They'll run out soon, Seargent," Jean advised, "And when they do we'll get them."  
-  
"Hold them for a little longer," General Wavell ordered, "My ships have almost gone through the base undetected."  
  
"But sir!" Colonel Jefferson protested, "We're running out of ammo, and..." he was suddenly interrupted by an explosion as a Musai class cruiser's reactors cooked off, "! We've just lost a ship!"  
  
"Twenty more minutes Colonel! That's all you need to wait for!" General Wavell ordered. Don't falter now Colonel, my victory is within reach.  
-  
"Radar man, what's the enemy situation?" John asked. If that radar man was to learn, he had to see what a battle looked like first hand.  
  
"It's getting hard to detect them sir, we've got Minovsky interferance," he replied more confidently.  
  
"What do you see?" John asked again, this time annoyance creeping into his tone.  
  
"A... Tibe class, two Musai types and a bigger one..." he started.  
  
THAT made John's head turn, "What larger contact?"  
  
"Sir, it keeps phasing in and out, maybe it's just a..."  
  
John growled and took a look at the display screen himself. It did show a fuzzy image of the battle, one which seemed to be going the Federation's way. But far to the left of the screen, the screen was empty save a few pieces of debris who were phasing in and out of the screen but...  
  
One piece, a VERY large piece, was actually moving...  
  
"HOLY !" John exclaimed, "Focus all your scanners on that area! Warn the fleet!"  
-  
"!" the Bismark's Electronic Warfare officer exclaimed, "I think they have detected us!"  
  
"Are we pass the main fleet?" General Wavell inquired.  
  
"Yes sir, but they say that there maybe a few ships..." the XO started.  
  
"Contact Ming! Tell him to start attacking!" General Wavell ordered. Damn, and jsut when he thought.  
-  
"What the hell..." Major Taylor asked as he heard the report.  
  
"The Johnston is reporting a contact bearing 312," the Gorbachev's XO reported, "I'm not sure if..."  
  
Suddenly, the bridge was rocked by a massive jolt, and the world around them seemed to be engulfed in flames.  
------------------------------------------------- "Well, well," Ming remarked quietly as he saw the Columbus class carrier explode after taking only three hits from his beam cannon. It WAS worth it, after all...  
  
"Captain! Two suits are guarding the rest of the ships!" Lieutenant Paul Hunter, one of his wingmen, reported.  
  
"Let's get'm," his second wingman, Lieutenant Gerald Allen requested enthusiastically. They were both veteran Rick Dom pilots, and now having traded in their old Rick Doms for new Rick Dom IIs, they were confident they could take anybody on.  
  
"Yes," Ming agreed, "But be slow and careful, that guy is dangerous," he warned. I'm not falling for any traps though, sniper.  
-  
"Change course!" Colonel Patteron ordered as he saw the Gorbachev get blown to bits, "Let's get that damn battleship! Signal the rest of the fleet!" I'm going to get that damn Gwajin now... he thought. For you Taylor.  
  
"Sir! The Actium has detected an escorting Musai! She is pursuing it!" the radio officer reported, "The Johnston is right behind us sir!"  
  
"What about the rest of the fleet?" he inquired.  
  
"They're trying to break off from the battle, but at this rate they'll be too late," the radio operator reported in a worried tone.  
  
"Then it's up to us then," Colonel Patterson declared, "Alright! Begin firing!"  
-  
"Chief! Do you have any extra Mobile Suits?" Sylvie asked as the Colonel made his announcement on the arrival of the enemy battleship. She wasn't going to sit around... she had to tell him...  
  
"The EWAC's down for maintenance," the chief reported, "I do have Max's old Sniper but..."  
  
"What?!" Syvlie asked angrily, "Tell me now!"  
  
"It's not fully loaded. It only has around ten shots in the beam rifle and no other weapons excluding the beam sabre. But I can't let you fly it, I promised Captain Max," he explained.  
  
"Regardless, I'm taking it!" Sylvie replied defiantly.  
  
"But..." the chief started.  
  
"Let her fly it chief," a new voice encouraged, it was Fred.  
  
"But Seargent..." the chief started.  
  
"There's only two of them out there," Fred reminded, "And Sylvie is one hell of a pilot..."  
  
Sylvie was a little taken back at that. Her sterling reputation as a pilot had come only after killing somebody. And if she went out now, she was probably going to kill again. But she HAD to do it, and she had already killed before anyway so...  
  
"Lemme think about it..." the chief muttered. Jeez, what do I do now?  
-  
"Three Mobile Suits heading right for us, do you think you can handle two of them Juan?" Max asked as the Spruance began firing at the enemy ship off in the distance. The enemy obviously wanted her taken down, and it was their job to stop them.  
  
"Yeah, you take the ace, and I'll take his wingmen," Juan agreed, "I think I can handle them now."  
  
"Alright then, let's go!" Max ordered as he headed straight for his nemesis, Captain Ming Chow.  
  
"Die Sniper!" Ming shouted as he fired a single shot from his massive beam cannon. The shot missed, but Ming quickly fired a follow on shot with his beam rifle, grazing the Sniper's left arm.  
  
"Not bad ace," Max said quietly as he fired two quick shots at the enemy ace. One shot missed while the second barely grazed its right leg.  
  
"Huh!" Ming scoffed, "I'm not going to lose to a murderer like you!" he declared as he fired his arm mounted vulcans at the GM Sniper.  
  
Max saw that and quickly put up his shield, deflecting most of the shots with it. But before he could try to fire again the Gelgoog headed straight for him, at incredible speeds despite the heavy cannon it was still carrying, brandishing its beam naginta and preparing to engage him in a sword fight. Max quickly put his beam rifle back into its hard point and pulled out his beam sabre. He made it just in time.  
  
"Not bad, for a sniper..." Ming remarked as the sniper blocked his intial slash. Ming tried to slash the sniper a few times more, but its pilot was blocking him with consumate skill. But soon, he'd make a mistake, Ming thought confidently, and then he'd get him.  
-  
"Maybe I shouldn't have opened my mouth too soon..." Juan muttered to himself as he barely evaded a pair of well timed shots fired by the two Zeon Mobile Suits he was engaging. He was good enough to keep evading, but not good enough to fire back at the same time. And if this went on...  
  
"Get behind him Gerald!" Paul advised as he fired a shot at the GM.  
  
"I'm on it!" Gerald replied as he began to slip behind the GM. It tried to keep its eyes on him, but with Paul distracting it he was able to get in a position on the GM's blind side. He grinned. He was a good pilot, but now...  
  
"Gerald lookout!" Paul warned as he suddenly spotted a new GM come up right behind Gerald. Gerald turned and just barely managed to evade the beam fired in his direction.  
  
"Fred! Man am I glad..." Juan started.  
  
"It's not Fred, it's me, Sylvie," the Sniper Custom's pilot responded in a serious tone, "Damn... wasted a shot..."  
  
"Sylvie, are you sure..." Juan started.  
  
"You take the left one, I'll take the right one, let's go," Sylvie ordered, her voice projectting her authority as an officer. Before Juan could say anything more Sylvie headed straight for her target.  
-  
"Target is firing!" the Spruance's look out reported excitedly. And predictably the ship was rocked by several explosions a moment later.  
  
"Damage report!" Colonel Patterson demanded.  
  
"Two forward turrets are gone, starboard mega beam cannon is also gone. Engine three is damaged," the XO reported quickly.  
  
"And we haven't really done any major damage on him..." Sean muttered. The Gwajin was still proving to be more than a match for the Spruance, "Can we get him into the port mega beam cannon's firing arc?" he inquired.  
  
"That'll put us in a position where he can deliver a full broadside," the XO warned.  
  
"But if we can get one direct hit with it..." the Colonel started.  
  
"Yeah, we can kill that ," the XO agreed.  
-  
"What the hell?" John asked as he heard the plan from the Colonel. He was now in command because the damn CO was cowering in his cabin again, scared. Exposing himself to a broadside? he thought. That was almost synonymous with suicide...  
  
"Sir, they're asking us to try to slip behind it, isn't that dangerous?" the radio man asked nervously.  
  
"Yeah, but we haven't been hit yet," John reminded, "Let's go!"  
-  
"Sir! The Magellan is heading straight for us!" the Bismark's lookout reported excitedly, "He's aiming that super cannon!"  
  
"Don't worry..." General Wavell replied coolly, "Contact Ming..."  
-  
Their sparring match had been going on for quite some time now, Max thought, but it was still yet to be resolved. Max wasn't very good with melee combat, but the enemy unit's reduced maneuverabilty put its pilot at a slight disadvantage. The enemy pilot suddenly pulled away and started aiming its massive beam cannon straight at him...  
  
"Let's see if you like this sniper," Ming remarked with an evil grin as he fired.  
  
Max quickly slipped out of the beam's path and produced his beam rifle once again, holding it with his free hand. He was just about to fire when an explosion occured just behind him. He turned and saw to his horror the Spruance about to face a broadside, with its port mega beam cannon destroyed by the shot...  
  
"I can learn some of your tricks too," Ming told the sniper pilot. Now, he thought, part of his revenge would be complete... He quickly detached his cannon. The time for the serious battle was at hand.  
-  
"We've been had..." the Spruance's XO muttered as he got the damage report.  
  
"I'm sorry Cynthia..." the Colonel managed to say just before the enemy's guns fired.  
-  
"Colonel!" John screamed as he saw the Spruance take the full broadside, leaving the ship enveloped in smoke, parts of it still glowing from the hits it had suffered. It was clear that it was a dead ship.  
  
"Sir, it's a Gwajin we can't..." the communications officer started.  
  
"Oh yes we WILL!" John replied angrily. He wasn't going to let them die in vain. There was no way he would do that, not anymore, even if... even if he ended up leaving Cynthia all alone. Please just forgive me... he didn't say, if I don't make it... and for not saving your dad.  
-  
"FRED!!!" Juan screamed as he saw the Spruance's wrecked hull. Fred, no... "Damn you s!" he shouted at the Rick Dom as he fired a shot in pure rage. Direct hit.  
  
But Paul Hunter's Rick Dom II did not explode. It was disabled, Juan saw, but it was still alive. Still very much alive... He wanted to shoot... and to kill... to kill one of those murderers who...  
  
Then why? the words of the Zeon Captain he had captured suddenly echoed through his mind. Why didn't he just kill her?  
  
Because you've been injured. And, well... I don't think that I could consider you as a soldier, or as an enemy for that matter... he had answered back then. And there wasn't anything different now, was there? He put the gun down. He wouldn't drag himself to their level. He wouldn't...  
  
But to the wounded Paul, all he saw was opportunity, and he began to raise his bazooka...  
  
Juan suddenly realized this guy was still willing to fight and quickly started aiming his own gun. He fired and finished off the Rick Dom, but it had managed to get one last shot off.  
-  
"Juan!" Sylvie screamed as he saw the Commando take a hit. She turned back to her target. Three shots left. Just three more. She fired again at the evading Rick Dom. Miss.  
  
"I'll avenge you Paul..." Gerald remarked as he aimed his bazooka and fired. Also a miss.  
  
Sylvie saw the rocket trail just left of her and blessed her luck once again. Only two shots left. She had to make them count now. She quickly set her thrusters to full and charged the Rick Dom II.  
  
Gerald was surprised at this, and made a crucial mistake. He tried to produce his heat sword, thinking that the enemy unit was about to enange him in a melee. He could not have been more wrong.  
  
Sylvie saw the Dom extract its heat sword, but knew it was of no consequence. She put her thrusters in full reverse to slow the GM Sniper down, sliding to a stop just outside of the sword's reach. The pilot seemed to belatedly aim his bazooka again, but it was too late, as Sylvie fired a shot that pierced a hole through the Rick Dom II's cockpit, and the Mobile Suit quickly slumped dead.  
  
"You did good Sylvie..." a weakened voice told her. To her relief, it was Juan.  
  
"Juan, I thought..." she started.  
  
"I'm okay, but Max is still fighting that ace," he said as he pointed to a certain direction, "Sorry, my suit is busted so..."  
  
"Just wait here Juan, I'll take care of it."  
-  
The radar man was praying quietly, John saw. They really thought it was that hopelss huh? "Come on gunnery! Hit that !" he encouraged, "You CAN do it. Trust me.  
  
"Yes sir..." the gunnery officer replied, feeling a little bit more confident. Come on... the CO is counting on you... He quickly fired all three forward guns. Hit.  
  
"YEAH! One forward turret gone!" the lookout reported jubilantly, just before a trio of beams passed just left of the ship, "Whoa! That was close..."  
  
"Good going gunnery!" John commended. But with that damn ship right in front of the Spruance, it was getting hard to maneuver around that monster. At least if he didn't mind colliding with the Spruance's hull that is.  
-  
"Chie... chief..." the very badly wounded Colonel Patterson asked from the secondary bridge, "How... how many are left?"  
  
"Almost every one is gone sir..." the chief replied grimly from the engine room, "We can't hold these fires off for much longer. How's the bridge crew sir?"  
  
"All dead, and I'll be next..." he muttered, "But that red monster is right in front of us..."  
  
"Engine two is still functioning sir," the chief replied, knowing EXACTLY what he was thinking.  
  
"Let's do it..." Fred agreed as he tried to press on his wounds, blood pouring out of them far too quickly for him to live much longer.  
  
"You know what to do, I'll take the helm."  
------------------------------------------------- "Sir! The enemy Magellan, its..." the lookout reported in a shocked tone.  
  
"What lookout!?" General Wavell asked in an annoyed tone. That lucky damn Salamis seemed to have an I field or something, and it was causing a few minute's delay...  
  
"It's heading straight for us!" the lookpout finished, "We're going to collide!"  
-  
"Colonel! If you're still alive answer me! What are you doing?!" John shouted angrily over the radio. The Spruance had seemingly just come to life from the grave, and was now heading right for the...  
  
"John," the Colonel's weak voice answered, "Tell my daughter I love her, and take care of her..."  
  
"He's not..." the gunnery officer started.  
  
"Let's get behind that monster now!" John ordered, teary eyed. Even if you survive this ramming you red , you won't live for much longer.  
-  
"Chief, it's been an honor," Patterson said as the Gwajin grew larger and larger over his view screen.  
  
"Yes sir, it has been an honor," the chief replied simply as he looked around the shattered engine room. He was the only one still alive now, the bodies of those who had died littered all around the compartment. At least now, they'll be avenged. He closed his eyes and waited for his fate...  
  
Patterson simply put his head done over the console. His duty was done, the enemy ship could not evade now, and at least Cynthia would have somebody to be with her now... And now... Erwin? Patricia? Is that you? I've missed you.  
-  
The Bismark desperately tried to turn away, but before it could the Spruance smashed into the Bismark head on, its much heavier hull easily tearing through the the Bismark's forward compartments. The engines on the Spruance suddenly exploded, wiping out nearly the entire forward half of the ship just before the secondary bridge.  
  
General Wavell was on the secondary bridge, and blessed his luck. At least, he was still alive, wasn't he?  
  
"Sir! the Salamis is right behind us!" the lookout reported in an excited tone. And Wavell's blood quickly chilled.  
-  
"Gunnery, fire," John ordered in a quiet tone. The gunnery officer simply nodded, and all three forward turrets opened fire as one. One hit and destroyed the remaining rear turret. The other two pierced right through the reactor. A blinding flash followed, and what was left of the Bismark was gone.  
-  
"Enough!" Colonel Jefferon declared. Two Musais gone, as were seven Mobile Suits. It was more than enough.  
  
"Colonel, I suggest you change your mind..." the XO advised coolly as he cocked his pistol.  
  
"And who are you..." Jefferson started when he suddenly saw his XO pulling out a gun. He quickly kicked his treacherous first officer and sent him tumbling away.  
  
"What was..." the XO started before a Lieutenant quickly gave him a karate chop to the back of the neck. He had seen the gun too.  
  
"Alright, enough... let's leave," the Colonel ordered, to which the bridge crew replied only with a series of nods. This had been too much.  
  
"At least the Bismark must've gotten away," the Lieutenant commented.  
  
That last statement made Jefferson's blood chill. Wavell had the nukes... and Side 6... He wasn't the one pulling the trigger, right? He was a soldier, right?  
  
"Inform the Federation fleet of Wavell's position and that he is carrying nukes," Jefferson ordered quickly. Yes, he was a soldier, and real ones don't murder helpless civilians.  
---------------------------------------------- "What did they say?" General Dolvcih asked in a cold tone. Sean was dead, he knew, as was Taylor. But if that was true...  
  
"The detached force is carrying nukes," the communications officer replied in a shocked tone. Dear God, not Side 6 too...  
  
Dolvich nodded. One ship had already been sunk, he knew from a report forwarded by the Johnston, but the second... "Where is the Actium?"  
  
"She's not responding sir..." the communications officer replied in a scared tone. -  
"Damn, no!" Ming growled. The Bremen had defeated the cruiser pursuing it, but its commanding officer was now telling him to fall back. And he almost had the damn sniper, he thought. He quickly turned around and began to flee.  
  
"You giving up now?" Max asked as he saw the Gelgoog start running away. Damn, I might have had him... Suddenly, a beam coming from seemingly nowhere headed straight for it. It seemed as if it would hit, but at the last second the ace evaded and fired back in the direction of the beam. An explosion told him that he had hit something...  
  
"Juan? Is that you?" Max asked. , I hope he's...  
  
"Max?" a female voice asked him. He quickly saw who had been hit, his old GM Sniper. And its pilot was Sylvie.  
  
"Sylvie! What are you?" Max asked.  
  
"Juan is alright, but the Spruance is gone... along with Fred," she reported as her face appeared in the viewscreen, "Sorry I missed..."  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked.  
  
"I am... but my suit is out of fuel and ammo," she replied, her serious face changing, "Max I..."  
  
"Max! We need to chase down another Zeon ship! It's carrying nukes heading for Side 6!" John interrupted as the Johnston arrived beside them, "Damn! My ship will never be able to catch up in time..."  
  
"John, could you please wait a bit?" Sylvie requested, "Please."  
  
"Alright," John agreed as he nodded his head and smiled.  
  
"Sylvie," Max started...  
  
"Max... I... I..." Sylvie started, before her voice cracked and she burst into tears, sobbing. He... really might not come back... she thought... he's going to go out to fight a ship. But I need to tell him... why couldn't I?  
  
"Sylvie?" Max asked. But he was beginning to understand. The tears in her eyes, the mix of longing, joy and sadness in her eyes. As if she wanted to say something but couldn't...  
  
"I..." Sylvie started again, but couldn't bring herself to say it. Why? Just once... why can't I...  
  
So... she still does... doesn't she? Max thought to himself. She still felt that way, "Sylvie," Max started as he put his hand into the the video screen, wanting, just wanting, to wipe her tears away for her. But he knew he couldn't. And he now had something he had to do, "Before, I couldn't do anything to save my family, but now I have a chance," he continued firmly, his eyes looking away.  
  
Max? she thought. Are you... are you going, to leave me? Really leave me? No...  
  
"But... whatever happens, I'll always love you," he finished as he turned to face her again, looking straight into her eyes.  
  
And he did something Sylvie had not seen since the start of the war. He smiled... it was... the way he told her how much he cared... how much she meant to him... and now, was he smiling for her, one last time... "Max..."  
  
But before Sylvie could say anything further, Max quickly turned off the vidscreen and headed off to pursue the enemy ace. He wouldn't let a million people die anymore... he couldn't live with himself if he didn't.... even if, it meant Sylvie would be alone...  
  
"...I love you," Sylvie said into the dead video screen, knowing he would never be able to hear those words.  
------------------------------------- "So, you've come to follow me?" Ming mocked as he saw the sniper follow him back to the Bremen. He quickly aimed and fired at it, but the enemy pilot evaded.  
  
Max ignored the ace for now, the ship had to be his target. He evaded a second shot fired by the ace as he aimed at the left engine. A third shot whizzed past him. He knew the ace was getting close but he had to take down that ship. He fired.  
  
Ming fired just as the sniper did, and was surprised its aim was so poor. His shot did not miss however, as he blew the sniper's lower torso off. The sniper then fired again, missing him again, but this time a massive explosion occured behind him. Ming turned and realized the Bremen had been his actual target, and it was now gone...  
  
"There, rest safe Side 6..." Max whispered to no one in particular. The enemy ace suddenly popped up right in front of him, mono-eyes flashing. Max looked around his cockpit. Almost all systems were dead, and, he realized, so was he, "Finish it, ace," he told the enemy pilot.  
  
"Oh yes, I will..." Ming replied as he aimed the rifle, right at the enemy unit's cockpit. And he made sure that he still had enough energy to fire. For all the ones who died, for Mike, for Mei Li, for me...  
  
"I'm sorry, Sylvie... that I can't be there for you anymore..." Max managed to say, just before he closed his eyes. He just wished that Sylvie could have heard those words...  
  
Ming grinned, and he pulled the trigger.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies. 


	38. Chapter 38: Words Left Unspoken

Chapter 38: Words Left Unspoken  
  
Jan. 2 UC 0080- Space Fortress of A Bou Qu, EFSFS Borodino  
  
It was a scene of death, Major Alfonso thought. The death of hundred of fine young boys... Federal engineering crews had tried to clean up most of the wreckage, but the horror remained. Even now, the dismembered head of a Zaku floated pass his ship, the sole reminder of what had been a promising life.  
  
But now, at least, it was finally over. The politicans would still mill over the details, but the killing had finally ended. But maybe, it was not soon enough. Maybe they would still make the same mistake over and over again...  
  
But, maybe there was still hope. Just as how one of his ship's GM pilots had carried a wounded Zeon one with him back onboard. The very one that had been his mortal enemy with only seconds before. Maybe, if there was enough people like him who were left on this world. Maybe we do have a chance, someday, somehow...  
  
But regardless, he thought. He had one last thing to do. He faced the fortress that had consumed so many lives, and raised his right hand to the tip of his cap. Saluting. For all of them, not just ours.  
-  
"Juan, you going home now?" John asked as they met in the wardroom. It seemed a lot more empty than before...  
  
"Yeah, I've seen enough war," Juan replied with a nod, "I've learned it isn't what they say it to be, and I'm glad to have made it out of it."  
  
"Well, you have become smarter. Good luck Juan," John replied as he shook his hand, "Take care."  
  
Juan nodded and turned away to leave. He still needed some time alone to grieve lost friends.  
  
John sighed and nodded his head. At least Juan would be able to live with himself, John thought. He had not become a hate obsessed monster like so many else in this war. But there was one very depressed person he had to visit.  
-  
Sylvie sat alone in the GM Sniper's cockpit, sobbing. It was... it was the only place she had left of him... everything else was gone... his smile... his touch... it was all gone. And she had never even managed to tell her that she loved him...  
  
She felt for the compartment under the seat. If she remembered right the firearm was stored there... she had nothing to live for, so why go on? She found it, a standard Colt M72A1 pistol.  
  
"Sylvie, it's not even loaded," John suddenly interrupted as he let himself in the cockpit, "I took out the bullets before hand."  
  
"And why don't you just leave me alone!" Sylvie shot back, "I... I loved him and couldn't forgive him enough to finally say it... and now he's dead... I can... I can never tell him now... and he'll always think that I hate him..."  
  
"Sylvie, do you actually believe that?" John asked in a calm, but gentle tone. Back to my old guidance counseling job again... John thought to himself, just to keep him from being too depressed to help out.  
  
"Yes... that's why he told me how he really felt..." Sylvie replied, her voice cracking, "Because he was asking me to forgive him..."  
  
"That's part of it," John admitted.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sylvie asked, tears still trickling down her cheek.  
  
"He... he knew that you loved him Sylvie. He always knew. Even if you didn't tell him, your tears were enough... It was enough to tell him that you loved him. That was why he didn't wait for you to answer anymore. Because he knew that you had admitted to yourself, that you loved him..." John comforted. You don't need to say it to show that you love somebody Sylvie...  
  
"But I couldn't admit it to him..." Sylvie replied, this time more quietly. More depressed than actually grieving, "And now I'm really alone..."  
  
"So are you just going to let him die in vain Sylvie?" John suddenly asked, this time more firmly, "He told you that he would always love you, didn't he Sylvie? He said that because he didn't want him to be an obstacle. He wanted you to be able to find somebody else to love... and somebody else to love you..."  
  
"Why... why are you saying this, John?" Sylvie asked, beginning to feel a little better, but still cold and depressed.  
  
"Because... some people wait their whole lives waiting for somebody to love, and somebody willing to love them back. I was lucky, I found that person when I was still young. But many people aren't that lucky, and... just call it the romantic in me... The part of me who wants to see other people happy," John answered  
  
"John... you'd better go back to her now, she must be missing you..." Sylvie reminded.  
  
"Yeah... but I'm not due to go home for a few more days," John explained, "So if you need me..."  
  
"No John," Sylvie replied, shaking her head, "Thank you for being a good friend."  
  
"So you promise not to kill yourself anymore?" John asked almost as a joke.  
  
Sylvie shook her head, but her expression changed to depression once again. She could never feel happy again, no matter what John said. She had become just like Max... a cold, lonely person. But she still had to go on... for him, didn't she? And for myself.  
-  
"Ming, you're alive," Colonel Jefferson exclaimed as he saw his old veteran pilot in Granada's dock. He looked very tired, but at least he was alive, "I thought..."  
  
"I barely got away," Ming explained, "But I have to get going soon sir. Our fight must go on."  
  
"No Ming, it's only your fight now," Jefferson corrected, "I'm staying here. I think I've fought enough..."  
  
"But sir..." Ming started.  
  
"There are two transports ready to take you to one of the resistance forces," Jefferson continued, cutting him off, "One goes to Axis in the asteroid belt were the main fleet is going, the second one under Delaz who is going to start a small guerilla war of his own soon. If you really want to continue that is."  
  
"Why don't you come sir?" Ming asked.  
  
"Because I'm tired of this war," Jefferson replied simply, "Just too many people have died. I had just seen Shin a few days ago and he's still undecided what to do. Dozul's death really devastated him. He might go to Axis for Mineva's sake though. She and Zena are the only members of the Zabi family who survived."  
  
"I understand," Ming replied, "And thank you sir. I think I'll join Delaz, Axis seems a little too far away for me."  
  
"But your future might be more secure at Axis," Jefferson countered.  
  
"That's true sir," Ming replied quietly, "But I still have many more Feddies to kill," he finished. But at least I finally got that sniper... he thought. That weakling who cried out for his girl just before he died.  
-  
Jan. 14, UC 0080 Manila, Philippines  
  
She had been waiting for so long, Cynthia thought, and only one of them was coming back... She had thought she was prepared for this, but it still hurt...  
  
She suddenly felt a hand holding her own, squeezing it tightly. She turned to see who it was. It was John.  
  
"I'm sorry, that I couldn't save your dad Cynthia..." John apologized, "He did want to say, that he was sorry, and that he loved you..."  
  
Cynthia simply nodded, speechless. But she took a step away from John, "John... do... do you just care about me... like a daughter?" she suddenly asked.  
  
"Cynthia?" John asked, surprised.  
  
"Because... I don't want you... to just be a replacement for my dad..." Cynthia continued, close to tears. Because you mean a lot more to me, she didn't have the courage to say.  
  
"What makes you say that?" John asked. Was she feeling guilty? Or was she afraid that she was loving me for the wrong reason?  
  
"Because... you always wanted to be a good father and..." Cynthia spluttered, close to tears.  
  
"And if I said yes?" John asked quietly. Not knowing the answer she would give.  
  
"I... would still love you John, but I can't let you comfort me..." Cynthia replied, "I don't want to just use you... not at a time like this..."  
  
"Cynthia..." John started as he took a step towards her, holding her shoulders with his hands, "I may have always said that I wanted to be a good father..."  
  
Cynthia felt herself pulling closer to him, letting herself feel his warmth. I have missed you, haven't I? But if...  
  
"But before that, I want to be a loving husband first," John continued as he kissed Cynthia gently in the forehead, "And to spend the rest of my life... with you..."  
  
Cynthia simply nodded as she hugged him tightly. She had lost her father, but she the love of her life had finally returned. Someone to hold her, someone to wipe away her tears. Someone, who she could love.  
-  
"Welcome home, General Dolvich," General Nicolo greeted as they met at Luna 2. You ruined everything you . And now with the damn treaty being signed by those fools, "peace," was once again at hand.  
  
"Thank you sir," Dolvich replied. Too bad we can't court martial you since Tianmen, Revil and Wakkien had all died carrying the evidence with them, he thought. You slippery snake, "If you don't mind, it's been a long day, sir."  
-  
"And miss, you are..." the re-enlisment officer asked.  
  
"Lieutenant Sylvie Gressier," Sylvie replied quietly.  
  
"Oh? From Side 6 eh?" the officer read from her bio, "We don't get many from Side 6 who want to re-enlist."  
  
"I have my reasons," Sylve replied coldly.  
  
"Well good luck in MS pilotting miss," the officer enouraged with a smile, "Hell with a record like yours you'll probably end up teaching me."  
  
Sylvie simply nodded. This was her life now. Just to be a soldier. She had nothing left back at home anyway, so all she could try to do is to protect them. Just as how Max would have probably have wanted it. He had died, but millions more could live because of him. Maybe this was what she was really meant for. Somebody who was there to protect those who could not protect themselves. And maybe there she could find something to fill the loneliness in her heart.  
-  
So many proud young faces, yet so few returned, General Dolvich thought. And all he could think about now, was it all worth it?  
  
He had lost many friends, countless have lost their loved ones. Sons and daughters left fatherless or motherless, a grieving sweetheart left back home. And to make it worse, hardly anybody even knew what had happened, on both sides. They were the write offs. The ones who would not even get a paragraph on a history text book. Maybe not even a footnote. When they talked about the One Year War, it would be about the Ruum, Solomon, Odessa, A Bou Qu. And the Gundam. Never about the 17th Fleet. Never about Karl Grunther, Sean Patterson, Max Harper, or any other common soldier down the line. They would all simply be forgotten, though not by him. He would never forget them.  
  
But still, the answer was... Yes.  
  
Ouside, he could still see the lights from the distant colonies of Side 6, still safe and peaceful. Free from those who wanted to do them ill. Many had died, but millions still live. Millions of people not at all quite unlike themselves, or anyone for that matter, who were now living the lives that those men who had not returned so wanted to live. They had all died, not for fame and glory, but to give a gift. And that gift was perhaps the most important one of all: life.  
  
The End  
  
For all the men and women, of any nation, who had the courage to stand up on the wall, and say that no one was going to come, and hurt those they loved tonight.  
-  
Notice:  
This story and all related material is copyrighted by me, no part of this story may be taken by any other person. If you wish to use any material, please contact me first. Gundam and all related trademarks are owned by their respective companies.  
-  
TO ALL READERS: Thank you for those who have read this fic all the way. Sincerest regards from the author. I would like to ask though, to please give some final comments and thoughts about the fic. Thank you:)  
  
Coming soon:  
  
Mobile Suit Gundam 0084: The Last Sons of Delaz  
  
and yes, it's Zeon perspective! 


End file.
